June 29 - International Day of the Tropics

Key Points

nPosted on June 29, 2019

nWe all know what “tropical” means, right?

Lush jungles and turquoise beaches, sweet fruit and colorful flowers, exotic birds and warm, steamy days – all year long.

nYes on all counts!

nBut also…

nSome of the places that fall within the tropics (between the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere) are very dry – deserts or beaches or rocky areas with warm-to-hot temperatures and little rainfall. Some places within the tropics are high mountains with cool-to-cold temperatures.

nThe tropics are defined as the areas of the world that flank the Equator. They are defined as the areas that have the sun straight overhead at least one day of the year (and therefore the tropics are roughly the same degrees latitude as the Earth’s tilt.

nEven though the climate in the various areas within the tropics varies because of altitude, the ocean’s effect on weather, and other factors, the fact that these regions have more direct sunlight all year long means that most tropical regions are warm or even hot, and most don’t have hot / cold differences in their seasons. Instead, many tropical zones have wet / dry seasons.

Areas that have jungles – or, we usually say, tropical rainforests – don’t have dry seasons; rain falls all year long.

nThe tropics are super important to all of us. First, all the plants in tropical rainforests sop up carbon dioxide and release oxygen – so they make the air breathable and fight global warming. Of course, tropical rainforests are also important sources of foods (I read that around 80% of the world’s food originated from rainforest plants!) and medicines, and the rainforest plant roots hold the soil and prevent erosion.

nAlso, more than a third of the Earth’s land surface falls within the tropics, and it is home to about 40% of the world’s population! Much of the world’s biodiversity is found there, and much of humanity’s cultural diversity is, as well.

nThe tropics face challenges – pollution, deforestation, overpopulation, climate change, loss of biodiversity, poverty, disease, and uneven access to food and clean water. Today’s the day to raise awareness of these problems and of the importance of the tropical regions to the entire world. And maybe even do something?