Q. Which of the following is / are features of the Horse Latitudes?
- High atmospheric Pressure
- Violent air
- High Precipitation
Select the correct option from the codes given below:
Answer:
Only 1
Notes: There are two sub-tropical high-pressure belts extending approximately between latitudes 15 and 30 degrees to the north and south of the Equator. Horse latitudes are generally areas of high pressure marked by calm, subsiding air that gets heated during descent. It receives little precipitation and has variable winds mixed with calm. The consistently warm, dry conditions of the horse latitudes also contribute to the existence of temperate deserts, such as the Sahara Desert in Africa, the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, and parts of the Middle East in the Northern Hemisphere; and the Atacama Desert, the Kalahari Desert, and the Australian Desert in the Southern Hemisphere. It is said (Folk Etymology) that Spanish sailors ferrying horses to the West Indies were usually stuck for months in these calm waters and had to throw their horses into the water to conserve drinking water for themselves. This led to the term ‘horse latitudes’.