What Is a Horse Latitude?
The horse latitudes are a band of typically very light winds that circles the globe on both sides of the equator. These calm areas received their name from tragic circumstances involving horses back in the days when ships depended on wind to complete a voyage.
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Location
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The horse latitudes exist between about 30 and 35 degrees north and south latitude.
Name
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The horse latitudes acquired their name from when the Spanish would transport horses by sailing ship from the Old World to the New World. When the ships were unable to move for long periods because of a lack of wind, the sailors would toss horses overboard in an effort to conserve drinking water.
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Effects
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The effects of the trade winds on either side of the equator interacting with the prevailing westerly winds to the north and south of them creates the low-wind conditions that the horse latitudes are famous for.
Doldrums
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The doldrums are another area with a distinct lack of winds, centered over the equator. However, this air is humid and moist rather than dry, creating optimum conditions for rain forests on the land they pass over.
Deserts
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Most of the world's major deserts exist within the horse latitudes, as a result on the dry air that these winds normally convey over land. For example, most of the Sahara Desert lies within this range of latitude.
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