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7.6 In the Tropics Where Are the Tropics? The region of Earth's surface that is closest to the Equator is called the tropics. Two imaginary lines that circle the globe mark the boundaries of the tropics. The line called the Tropic of Cancer marks the northern edge. Its latitude (distance from the Eq...

7.6 In the Tropics Where Are the Tropics? The region of Earth's surface that is closest to the Equator is called the tropics. Two imaginary lines that circle the globe mark the boundaries of the tropics. The line called the Tropic of Cancer marks the northern edge. Its latitude (distance from the Equator) is 23°27' N. The line called the Tropic of Capricorn marks the southern edge. Its latitude is 23°27' S. This area includes all the areas of the Earth where the sun reaches a point directly overhead at least once a year. The word "tropics" comes from Greek tropos meaning "turn", because the apparent position of the Sun moves between the two tropics within a year. The Tropic of Cancer, or the Northern Tropic, is the circle of latitude on the Earth that marks the most northerly position at which the Sun can be directly overhead. The Tropic of Capricorn, or Southern Tropic, marks the most southerly latitude on the Earth at which the Sun can be directly overhead. What Is It like in the Tropics? Key Words tropics equator Southern Trop Northern Trop tropical / torrid monsoons temperate zor tropical cyclon Tropic of Cancer The Tropics -Equator- D Tropic of Capricorn This region is also referred to as the tropical zone and the torrid zone. The word Tropical specifically means places near the equator. The word is also sometimes used in a general sense for a tropical climate, a climate that is warm to hot and moist year-round. Between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, the weather is hot all year round. Rainfall can be very varied in tropical locations - some areas have very little rain, some have a rainy season and some have fairly consistent rainfall throughout the year. The temperatures do not change greatly, but winds and rain bring different types of weather. Most tropical places experience wet and dry seasons. Dense rainforests cover the land. 88 People in some tropical places call their seasons "dry"/"hot" and "rainy"/"we especially where the seasons are made by monsoons. Tropical cyclones form tropical ocean areas, and some move from there into the temperate zo Tropical plants and animals are native to the tropics or the Torrid zone.