Five continents in all make up the Northern Hemisphere -- Asia, Europe, North America, Africa and South America. However, only two of those continents -- North America and Europe are fully situated in the Northern Hemisphere, meaning the two continents are completely above the equator. These continents typically have winter climates that begin on average in December; whereas continents in the Southern Hemisphere have opposing seasons with winter climates starting around June.
While most of South America is below the equator, meaning it lies in the Southern Hemisphere, the Northern tip of the continent is situated in the Northern Hemisphere. For instance, parts of countries such as Ecuador, Columbia and Brazil are all both in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Countries that lie directly on the equator tend to have tropical climates. Of course, the equator is only an imaginary line drawn on maps and cannot actually be seen when visiting any of these bordering countries.
Most of Asia is located in the Northern Hemisphere. In fact, the only portions of Asia located partially in the Southern Hemisphere are the Maldives, Indonesia and The Republic of Kiribati. Lying on the equator, all have tropical climates. The Republic of Kiribati is very small with a population of just over 100,000 people as of the date of publication.
Approximately two thirds of Africa is situated in the Northern Hemisphere, including countries such as Egypt, Ghana and Morocco. However, the Southern portion of Africa is located in the Southern Hemisphere. Some countries in the continent sit directly on the equator, sitting in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. These countries include Kenya, Uganda, Gabon, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia.
