CLIMATIC CONDITIONS IN TROPICAL MONSOON LANDS

The basic cause of monsoon climates is the difference in the rate of heating and cooling of land and sea. In the summer, when the sun is overhead at the Tropic of Cancer, the great land masses of the northern hemisphere are heated. Central Asia, backed by the lofty Himalayan ranges, is more than 9 'C (15 'F) hotter than its normal temperature, and a region of intense low pressure is set up. The seas, which warm up much slower, remain comparatively cool. At the same time, the southern hemisphere experiences winter and a region of high pressure is set up in the continental interior of Australia. Winds blow outwards as the South-east Monsoon, to Java and after crossing the equator are drawn towards the continental low pressure area reaching Indo Pakistan as the South West Monsoon. In the winter, conditions are reversed. The sun is overhead at the Tropic of Capricorn, central Asia is extremely cold, resulting in rapid cooling of the land.

THE TROPICAL MONSOON AND TROPICAL MARINE LANDS

DISTRIBUTION
The tropical monsoon lands are with on-shore wet monsoons in the summer and off-shore dry monsoons in the winter. They are best developed in the sub-continent of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, Burma, Thailand, Laos, the Khmer Republic, parts of Vietnam and South China and Northern Australia. Outside this zone, the climate is modified by the influence of the on-shore Trade Winds all the year round, and has a more evenly distributed rainfall. Such a climate, better termed the Tropical Marine Climate, is experienced in Central America, West Indies, North-eastern Australia, the Philippines, parts of East Africa, Madagascar, the Guinea Coast and Eastern Brazil.