Information about Subtropical

The subtropics are the zones of the Earth immediately north and south of the tropic zone, which is bounded by the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, at latitude 23.5 ° north and south. The term 'subtropics' describes the climatic region found adjacent to the tropics, usually adjacent to either the north or south pole latitudinal. However, subtropical zones can exist both north and south of many temperate zones, and so the temperate zones can only be distinguished from subtropical based on winter temperatures.

The term refers to locations outside the tropics where winters are mild and often snowless, allowing for the growth of broadleaf evergreens, in contrast to temperate regions which have cold winters and mainly deciduous or coniferous flora. A subtropical climate implies that no average monthly air temperature goes below 0 °C in winter. This is a critical threshold temperature for a gamut of subtropical plants, including hardy palms, live oak, crape myrtle, and Southern magnolia. Even the coldest subtropical places have winter temperatures averaging at least 4 °C (with daytime highs around 9 °C and lows around 0 °C). Example of such borderline climate cities are Victoria, British Columbia and Cincinnati, Ohio. Subtropical climate zones are roughly bounded in the north by USDA Hardiness Zone 6b/7a. The poleward limit of such climates is higher on the west coasts of the northern continents and lower on the east coasts, because occasional Winter cold snaps reach farther south in the east.

In certain areas of the world the subtropics are plagued by hurricanes or typhoons (in the northern hemisphere), or tropical cyclones (in the southern hemisphere) that originate in the tropics in the summer and fall (when the wet seasons occur), but in usual circumstances, these storms should stay well within the tropical boundaries. Subtropical locations don't usually have distinctly wet or dry seasons, and have a fairly even distribution of rain throughout the year.

Sometimes subtropical climates exist at surprisingly northern locations, including places like Scotland and British Columbia, due to the prevailing maritime winds keeping winters warm.

Example of subtropical cities include:

• Australia: Brisbane and Sydney
• Middle East: Cairo, Jerusalem, and Baghdad
• Europe: Lisbon, Barcelona, Rome, Athens and Sotchi
• United States: Houston, Texas, Charleston, South Carolina
• Brazil: São Paulo, Curitiba, Florianópolis and Porto Alegre
• South Africa: Durban and East London
• New Zealand: Auckland
• Uruguay: Bella Unión

Subtropical flora

Savannah, Georgia: Live oak with spanish moss. This is a typical scene in the subtropical region of the eastern United States.

Curitiba: Live oak with araucarias. This is a typical scene in the subtropical region of the southern Brazil.

See also

• Humid subtropical
• Tropics
• tropical rain forests
• Tropic of Cancer
• Tropic of Capricorn
• Geographical zone