Geographically the southern hemisphere encompasses the southern parts of all seven continents. In Africa the southernmost nations include South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Eswatini, Lesotho and the Republic of the Congo and Democratic Republic of the Congo are split by the equator, while the southern portions belong to the hemisphere. In Asia it contains the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, the Malay Archipelago, Indonesia, the Philippines and the island of New Guinea. Oceania is almost entirely within the southern hemisphere, including Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific islands from Fiji to Tonga to Samoa and the wider Polynesian triangle. South America is predominantly in the southern hemisphere and includes countries such as Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia and Brazil’s southern provinces. Antarctica lies completely within the southern hemisphere, and it is the only continent that is wholly in the southern half.
The climate of the southern hemisphere is markedly diverse. The vast Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica keeps the polar regions icy; the tropical climates of the Indian and Pacific Oceans provide rainforests in Brazil’s Amazon basin, Indonesia, and the Philippines; the temperate zones cover much of Australia’s southeastern coast and New Zealand’s North Island; and the subtropical zones stretch across the southern parts of North Africa and the western parts of Asia. Seasonal patterns across the hemisphere are inverted relative to the northern hemisphere, meaning spring in the southern hemisphere occurs around September‑November and winter from March to May.
From a cultural perspective, a number of events and time‑zones are tied to the southern hemisphere. For instance, in the Southern Hemisphere, the migrate of certain birds, such as the red‑eyed tree swallows and the albatross, is timed with the Southern Hemisphere’s spring. Traditional festivals such as the week of May in Argentina (The pink week) or the Chinese New Year occurring in early February, marking the start of the lunar year, happen in years where the Southern Hemisphere is mid‑winter.