Southern Hemisphere

"Since my friend told me that the Southern Hemisphere's seasonal cycle is very much different due to the sun's axial tilt, thanks to gravity, I knew that there are so many rules to play that half of the Hemisphere could get seasons separated. One, if the Northern Hemisphere is at summer time, the Southern Hemisphere is at winter time. Two, if the Northern Hemisphere is at winter time before the end of the year, the Southern Hemisphere is at summer time, EVEN before the end of the year as well. It could be unbelievable to the weather out here. My village is never located there, nor my country either."

--Su Ji-Hoon, The Last Capoeira

The Southern Hemisphere is the half sphere of Earth which is south of the Equator. It contains all or parts of five continents (Antarctica, Australia, about 90% of South America, the southern third of Africa, and several southern islands off the continental mainland of Asia), four oceans (Indian, South Atlantic, Southern, and South Pacific) and most of the Pacific Islands in Oceania. Its surface is 80.9% water, compared with 60.7% water in the case of the Northern Hemisphere, and it contains 32.7% of Earth's land.

Owing to the tilt of Earth's rotation relative to the Sun and the ecliptic plane, summer is from December to March and winter is from June to September. September 22 or 23 is the vernal equinox and March 20 or 21 is the autumnal equinox. The South Pole is in the middle of the southern hemispherical region.