RAS question
The 'Horse Latitudes' are calm zones of high pressure located near which latitude?
Correct answer: (C) 30° N and S.
Horse latitudes are subtropical high-pressure calm zones located at about 30 degrees north and south of the equator.
Explanation
Horse latitudes sit near 30 degrees north and south of the equator, not at the equator or in the mid-latitudes. NOAA describes them as subtropical regions marked by calm winds and little precipitation. The pressure pattern matters: this is a high-pressure belt, so winds diverge from it, flowing either towards the poles as prevailing westerlies or back towards the equator as trade winds. This high pressure forms where air descends from the upper troposphere in the Hadley Cell, creating calm, dry conditions. That is why major hot deserts such as the Sahara, Arabian and Thar deserts occur in these latitudes.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) The equator is associated with the Doldrums, a low-pressure calm belt, whereas horse latitudes are subtropical high-pressure zones near 30 degrees north and south.
- (B) The 60 degrees north and south belts correspond to the sub-polar low-pressure zone, not the subtropical high-pressure horse latitudes.
- (D) The 45 degrees north and south latitudes are mid-latitudes; horse latitudes lie in the subtropical belt at about 30 degrees north and south.
Concept
Global pressure belts and the planetary wind system link subtropical highs, calm conditions and desert belts. In RAS geography, this standard concept connects latitude, pressure, winds and climate.