Global Weather Patterns

equatorial - equatorial rainforests are located near the equator. The equator is a line that runs around the middle of the Earth. It is equally as far from the North Pole as it is from the South Pole. The Earth is hottest at the equator.
tropical - the tropics cover an area that stretches out on either side of the equator. The tropics are bounded on the south by the Tropic of Capricorn and on the north by the Tropic of Cancer. You can see these lines on a globe. Tropical areas are very warm and some have very lush plantlife due to the amount of rain that falls there.