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Encompassing one of the largest climate zones in the world; often defined as the areas located adjacent to the tropics. Further definitions include specifying it as the area within the range of 23.5-40° N and 23.5-40° S latitude.
Freezing and near-freezing temperatures are highly unusual in a subtropical climate, although the average high temperatures can vary widely as can humidity.
Subtropical, in garden terms, refers to a climate where the tempature in the winter can drop below freezing, but only for short periods of time, measured in hours or part of a day.
The entire band around the middle of the earth, from 10 degrees north of the equator to ten degrees south of the equator is the tropical zone. This zone is marked by very heavy rainfall and an incredible diversity of plant and animal life. Most of the planet\'s densely vegetated rainforests occur naturally in the tropics. The Amazonian rain forest, for example, is a tropical rainforest. In these areas, water is abundant, and temperatures remain relatively stable. There are seasons of heavier and less-heavy rainfall, but this region is not known to exhibit great seasonal swings in temperature. The humidity combined with constant, overhead sunlight keeps this region wet and warm.
The sub-tropics, on the other hand, are those two bands around the earth that are adjacent to the tropics, from 10 degrees north latitude to 23.5 degrees north latitude and from 10 degrees south latitude to 23.5 degrees south latitude. This zone is noted for its lack of rainfall and corresponding low humidity. Most of the world\'s great deserts lie in the sub-tropics. The Sahara, for example, is subtropical, as are the Arabian desert and the Australian outback. Large land masses that lie in the sub-tropics inevitably exhibit desert terrain in their interior regions (away from the coastline). On the other hand, small, sub-tropical land masses, like the Hawaiian Islands, are some of the most pleasant environments on earth because of the relatively low humidity that\'s typical of the subtropics combined with plentiful warmth from the sun and the regulating function of warm sea water on the climate. Without the temperature regulation of a large body of water, temperatures in sub-tropical deserts swing wildly every day. Days are very hot and nights are very cold. Low humidity allows rapid heating and cooling of the subtropical air. The subtropics are subject to more seasonal variation in temperatures than the tropics, but this variation is not as pronounced as in the temperate zones that lie to the north and south of the sub-tropics.
