CH. II] CLIMATE 7 



Near the equator, and near the sea, the climate is 

 wonderfully uniform, the mean temperatures of the twelve 

 months at Colombo being for example 79, 80, 82, 83, 83, 82, 

 81, 81, 81, 81, 80, 80, while at Singapore they are almost the 

 same. On the average, in Colombo, the temperature only 

 reaches about 86 during the day, and falls to about 75 at 

 night. In drier places inland the daily range is greater, but 

 the annual range is much the same until one gets far from the 

 equator. 



Humidity, other things being equal, increases with elevation. 

 Thus Colombo at sea level, and Hakgala at 5600 feet, have 

 much the same rainfall, similarly distributed, and their average 

 humidities are 78 and 87 respectively. 



Another feature which makes some difference to the climate 

 of a place is the exposure upon the mountains. Thus in Ceylon, 

 when the south-west monsoon is blowing, there is heavy rain 

 upon the western side of the mountain chain, while the eastern 

 side is comparatively dry. While the rainfall at Ratnapura, 

 on the south-western side, is 20*78 inches in June, that at 

 Badulla, 50 miles away, upon the eastern side, is only 2 '66 

 inches. In the north-east monsoon, which blows for six months 

 in the year in the opposite direction, the positions are reversed, 

 so that the main wet seasons in the two places differ by about 

 six months, and the periodicity of the phenomena of plant life 

 is also different, Para rubber for instance ripening its seeds at 

 Badulla in February, and at Ratnapura in August. 



The actual direction of exposure of a place upon the 

 mountains also makes a difference. In Java and Ceylon, the 

 mornings are comparatively cloudless compared with, the after- 

 noons. It therefore follows that, in general, a place with an 

 eastern exposure will get more sunshine than one with an 

 exactly similar exposure to the west. In the extreme north of 

 the tropics, a place with a northern exposure will, other things 

 being equal, be colder than one with a southern exposure, and 

 in the extreme south the reverse will be the case. 



The amount of sunshine falling upon a particular place is 

 also a feature of some importance. The temperature in the sun 

 is usually very high, amounting to 140 170 F., while that in 



