CHAPTER II 



CLIMATE 



THE tropics cover so vast an area that it is obvious that 

 there must be a great variety in climates, but in general the 

 types of climate may be set down as two : the moist, near the 

 equator and the sea; and the dry, inland, and usually away 

 from the equator. The former is characterised by a moist air, 

 and a comparatively uniform temperature, with but little daily 

 or annual variation, the latter by a considerable range, often, 

 if it be far from the equator, annual as well as daily, and a dry 

 air ; while of course as one ascends the mountains one as a rule 

 comes into a cooler and moister climate. 



Every type of climate may be met with in passing from 

 the south of Ceylon to the north of India, so that a comparison 

 of some of the figures for various places lying between these 

 extremes will be useful, while others are also given. The 

 nearer to the equator, other things being equal, the smaller is 

 the annual range of temperature : 



Colombo Madura Cochin Bombay Surat Calcutta Batavia 

 Mean max. 89 101 91 90 100 96 86 



min. 72 68 71 68 56 55 72 



humidity 78 65 80 77 62 78 83 



Manila Chinchoxo Lado Colon Rio de Janeiro Sao Paulo l 

 Mean max. 96 86 88 92 86 94 



min. 64 67 75 75 62 41 



humidity 79 85 77 83 78 85 



1 Elevation 2485 feet. 



