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subequatorial

subequatorial

7.5
Areas near the equator but not on it that have warm wet and dry seasons
  • adjective
  • /ˌsʌbɪkwəˈtɔːriəl/
translation icon : subecuatorial
  • Many plants in subequatorial areas thrive in the warm, humid conditions during the rainy season.

Examples

  • The burning season in subequatorial Africa consumes some 500,000 square miles of grasslands from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean seaboards.

    Academic text (2000)
  • Each year, fires ravage nearly a half-million square miles of grasslands in subequatorial Africa.

    Academic text (2000)
  • The wildlife in subequatorial regions often depends on the seasonal rains for survival.

  • Farmers in subequatorial climates must adapt their growing techniques to the wet and dry seasons.

Synonyms

equinoctial
vssubequatorial
9.9

Near the equator with warm weather and little seasonal change

refers to regions just outside the equatorial zone with seasonal wet and dry periods

Surface Forms

subequatorial positive

Morphology

subequatorial = equatorial (transparent) = sub + equator + ial

Formed by the productive prefix 'sub-' added to the adjective 'equatorial'; the meaning 'near/below the equator' is directly inferred.

Etymology

Subequatorial comes from sub- meaning 'below' or 'near', as in submarine, and equator meaning 'the Earth's middle line between north and south'. So subequatorial describes places 'near the equator but not on it', often with wet and dry seasons.