Subtropical zone

Characteristics

• Area
  • Between the tropical zone and the temperate zone (25° to 40° North and South latitude)
• Sun path
  • 90 to 27° above the horizon, according to place and season
• Average temperature
  • >20 to 35°C
• Minimal temperature
  • -5°C
• Maximal temperature
  • +66°C (Lybia, Iran, Death Valley)
• Radiation
  • Neutral
• Daylength
  • 9 to 15 hours
• Precipitation
  • Dry, winter humidity and always wet areas
• Climate
  • Tropic summer, non-tropic winter
• Vegetation
  • Semi-deciduous or evergreen forests, hardwood forests with winter rain, savannah, pasture land, semi-desert, warm temperate moist forests, nemoral deciduous forests
• Properties
  • Extreme heat, strong precipitation and drought in some areas

Dry Subtropics

Climate:

• annual vegetation period;
• winter precipitation;
• whole year arid;
• daytime climate;
• solar climate.

Vegetation:

• low biodiversity;
• desert and veldt vegetation (mainly thorn bush plants).

Humid winter Subtropics (Mediterranean climate)

Climate:

• annual vegetation period;
• winter precipitation;
• only arid summer.

Vegetation:

A specific formation type, the hard foliage vegetation which is stamped for the Mediterranean areas of the Mediterranean Sea and California by evergreen oaken kinds − holm oak, cork oak and kermes oak as well as half-evergreen Macedonian oak dominates it. In Australia, there are particularly two eucalyptus kinds, Jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) and Marri (Eucalyptus calophylla), spread in Mediterranean regions. In California, many coniferous wood under which the sequoia, that are of special interest, come up. In many areas, the scenery has become completely treeless by early overexploitation. The woods of southwest Australia, the cape region of South Africa, California and Mediterranean have a high endemic abundance under 25 hotspots of the biodiversity of the Earth.

Always wet Subtropics (east side climate)

Climate:

• annual vegetation periode;
• maximum of precipitation in summertime.

Vegetation:

Very varied laurel wood with numerous creepers, but less epiphytics than in tropical woods. In Australia we typically find eucalyptus woods. In the Caucasus, Afghanistan, north Iran and the eastern USA very varied foliage mixed forests with high portion in tertiary types. In southeast China, there is a global centre of the biodiversity; many original types which would have otherwise become extinct have been preserved.