What is the climate type in South America? What is the cause of the tropical rainforest climate in eastern South America?

The eastern part of South America is located near the equator and is controlled by the equatorial low pressure belt all year round. It has a prevailing updraft and abundant precipitation. Most of South America has a tropical rainforest climate and a tropical savanna climate. The climate is warm and humid, mainly tropical, and not continental. Below we mainly share the causes of the tropical rainforest climate in eastern South America. I hope it will be useful to you.

Contents of this article

1. What is the climate type in South America?

2. What causes the climate of the tropical rainforest in eastern South America?

3. Topographical characteristics of South America

What is the climate like in South America?

Climate Type:

Most of South America has tropical rainforest and savannah climates, which are warm and humid, mainly tropical, and not very continental. Except for the mountains, the average temperature in the coldest month of winter is above zero degrees Celsius. The average temperature in the tropical areas that make up the majority of the continent is over 20 degrees Celsius. Winters are much warmer than in North America. In the west of South America, there are tropical desert and Mediterranean climates in a belt-like distribution, and the Andes Mountains have an alpine climate. In the southeast of South America, there are subtropical monsoon and humid monsoon climates.

Due to the influence of the Andes Mountains, the west side has a temperate oceanic climate and the east side has a temperate continental climate.

What causes the climate of the tropical rainforest in eastern South America?

There are four main reasons for this:

1. The eastern part of South America is located near the equator and is controlled by the equatorial low pressure belt all year round. It has prevailing updrafts and abundant precipitation.

2. The north, west and south sides of the eastern part of South America are plateaus and mountains, and the east side is open to the Atlantic Ocean, which is conducive to the penetration of northeast trade winds and southeast trade winds, and is lifted by the plateaus and mountains to form orographic rain.

3. A warm current passes along the eastern coast, increasing temperature and humidity.

4. Located in the equatorial low-pressure belt, updrafts prevail all year round. There is abundant precipitation, which is conducive to the same climate distribution.

South America terrain features

The terrain of South America is high in the west and low in the east, and can also be divided into three major topographic regions: the west is a high mountain range, and the east is a vast alluvial plain and undulating plateau, which are distributed alternately.

The tall mountain range in the west is the extension of the Cordillera Mountain Range in South America, called the Andes Mountains. It is the longest mountain range in the world, with a total length of more than 9,000 kilometers, and is part of the Pacific Rim volcanic seismic belt.

There are three major plateaus in the east: the Guiana Plateau, the Brazilian Plateau, and the Patagonia Plateau. The Brazilian Plateau is the largest plateau in the world, with an area of ​​about five million square kilometers. These plateaus have gentle undulations due to long-term erosion.

There are three major plains in the east: from north to south, there are the Orinoco Plain, the Amazon Plain, and the La Plata Plain. The Amazon Plain is the largest alluvial plain in the world, with an area of ​​about 5.6 million square kilometers and a low terrain.