The Northern Hemisphere or northern hemisphere[1] is the half of a planet that is north of the equator—the word hemisphere literally means 'half ball'. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator. Earth's northern hemisphere contains most of the land and about 90% of the human population.
In the temperate regions of the hemisphere, winter lasts from December 21 to March 21 (though winter weather can begin as early as September and last into May or even June in arctic regions) and Summer from June 21 to September 22. Earth's perihelion, during which its orbital motion is fastest, occurs in January. In theory, northern hemisphere winters would therefore tend to be shorter and less severe than southern hemisphere winters at equivalent latitudes, but in practice, the moderating effect of the larger southern hemisphere oceans more than compensates for this effect. Tropical regions tend to experience a rainy season during the 'summer' months, and a dry season during the 'winter' months. Regions north of the Arctic Circle will experience some days in summer on which the sun never sets, and some days in winter on which the sun never rises. The duration of these phases varies from one day for places right on the Arctic Circle to several months near the North Pole itself. Hurricanes and tropical storms spin counter-clockwise in the northern hemisphere due to the Coriolis effect. In contrast they spin clockwise on the southern hemisphere. Also the Moon appears "upside down" compared to a view from the southern hemisphere and the view of the stars is different.
Continents in the northern hemisphere:
- Asia (Indonesia is primarily in the southern hemisphere)
- Europe
- North America
- A small part of South America, north of the Amazon River
- About 2/3 of Africa, north of the Congo River
==Countries wholly, mostly, or partly in the northern hemisphere that are in
Entirely
Mostly
Partly
Countries primarily in the northern hemisphere that are southeast of Asia:
Countries and territories wholly, mostly, or partly in the northern hemisphere that are in South America:
Wholly
Mostly
Partly
Countries and territories wholly, mostly, or partly in the northern hemisphere that are in North America
Wholly
See also
References
- ^ Merriam Webster's Online Dictionary (based on Collegiate vol., 11th ed.) 2006. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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| Northern hemisphere • Southern hemisphere • Western hemisphere • Eastern hemisphere • Land hemisphere • Water hemisphere |
