answersLogoWhite

0

Countries near the equator are warmer because the land receives and retains more sunlight than countries closer to the poles of the planet. The equator receives sunlight from directly overhead. This means that if the sun throws (for example) 10 sunrays per square foot to a tropical place, a square foot on the ground will get the full 10 sunrays. Not only that, but some sunrays will bounce straight back up, hit the top of the atmosphere and bounce straight back down to the same place again. These sunrays contain both light and heat which make for a pretty hot place. Now lets go to New York, where the sun is not directly overhead in the summer. The sun throws the same 10 sunrays per foot at an angle toward us, but since it's at an angle the 10 sunrays are more spread out when they hit the ground. So now you have 10 sunrays hitting New York every 1 and a half or 2 feet. That's less light and less heat. Also, the bounce is at an angle so if some of the sunrays are reflected back, they will hit in a different place. Equatorial lands also receive more sunlight because the sunlight travels through less atmosphere than non-equatorial lands.

User Avatar

Wiki User

16y ago

What else can I help you with?