Climate and Health in Hot Countries and the Outlines of Tropical Climatology / A Popular Treatise on Personal Hygiene in the Hotter Parts of the World, and on the Climates That Will Be Met Within Them.

by George Michael James Giles

Rainfall Table for Central America.
Place	San Salvador		Taboga Island		Rivas		San José		Guatemala		Coban		Belize		Greytown		Colon
Situation	Pacific Coast of Salvador		Pacific, off Panama		Costa Rica, near Pacific Coast		Costa Rica, near Pacific Coast		Guatemala, Inland		Guatemala, Inland		Atlantic Coast, British Honduras		Atlantic Coast, Costa Rica		Atlantic Coast, Panama
Latitude, N.	13° 39′		8° 52′		11° 30′		90° 56′		14° 38′		15° 30′		17° 32′		10° 30′		9° 22′
Longitude, W.	89° 13′		79° 31′		85° 47′		84° 8′		90° 31′		90° 25′		88° 10′		83° 22′		79° 55′
Elevation (feet)	2,970		near sea-level		1,500		3,600		4,810		2,500		near sea-level		near sea-level		near sea-level
Scale	Ins.	Mm.	Ins.	Mm.	Ins.	Mm.	Ins.	Mm.	Ins.	Mm.	Ins.	Mm.	Ins.	Mm.	Ins.	Mm.	Ins.	Mm.
January	0·07	2	0·48	12	0·38	10	0·38	10	0·42	11	5·36	136	5·78	147	21·39	543	1·88	48
February	0·07	2	0·03	1	0·01	2	0·13	3	0·13	3	4·58	116	3·08	78	5·78	147	1·49	38
March	0·59	15	0·16	4	0·19	5	0·83	22	0·88	20	3·67	93	1·54	39	4·75	120	1·30	33
April	1·54	39	0·87	22	0·33	8	1·17	30	2·38	60	2·44	62	1·54	39	10·39	264	2·65	68
May	7·83	199	5·27	134	7·53	191	7·98	203	4·97	126	7·22	183	3·24	83	12·73	328	11·40	290
June	10·01	255	5·17	131	11·11	282	10·16	258	10·36	263	12·47	317	8·18	208	16·63	422	13·67	347
July	13·22	336	4·43	112	7·47	190	7·98	203	9·18	232	12·22	310	9·09	231	29·87	760	14·14	359
August	11·58	293	5·67	144	8·13	206	9·81	249	9·28	236	8·28	210	8·18	208	20·03	509	14·64	372
September	11·34	288	7·22	183	9·42	239	12·13	308	9·73	247	9·53	242	8·63	219	9·29	236	12·40	315
October	6·66	169	6·83	173	16·88	429	12·68	322	7·38	187	9·82	249	12·68	322	14·42	366	13·54	345
November	2·60	66	5·54	140	3·88	99	4·57	116	0.78	20	8·90	226	9·14	232	20·96	530	23·18	589
December	0·48	12	4·73	120	1·48	38	2·10	53	0·24	6	6·66	169	7·08	180	26·57	675	11·98	304
Year	65·97	1,676	46·37	1,178	66·88	1,699	70·97	1,777	55·55	1,411	98·94	2,313	78·18	1,986	192·67	4,895	122·37	3,108

Rainfall Table for Central America.
Place	San Salvador		Taboga Island		Rivas		San José		Guatemala
Situation	Pacific Coast of Salvador		Pacific, off Panama		Costa Rica, near Pacific Coast		Costa Rica, near Pacific Coast		Guatemala, Inland
Latitude, N.	13° 39′		8° 52′		11° 30′		90° 56′		14° 38′
Longitude, W.	89° 13′		79° 31′		85° 47′		84° 8′		90° 31′
Elevation (feet)	2,970		near sea-level		1,500		3,600		4,810
Scale	Ins.	Mm.	Ins.	Mm.	Ins.	Mm.	Ins.	Mm.	Ins.	Mm.
January	0·07	2	0·48	12	0·38	10	0·38	10	0·42	11
February	0·07	2	0·03	1	0·01	2	0·13	3	0·13	3
March	0·59	15	0·16	4	0·19	5	0·83	22	0·88	20
April	1·54	39	0·87	22	0·33	8	1·17	30	2·38	60
May	7·83	199	5·27	134	7·53	191	7·98	203	4·97	126
June	10·01	255	5·17	131	11·11	282	10·16	258	10·36	263
July	13·22	336	4·43	112	7·47	190	7·98	203	9·18	232
August	11·58	293	5·67	144	8·13	206	9·81	249	9·28	236
September	11·34	288	7·22	183	9·42	239	12·13	308	9·73	247
October	6·66	169	6·83	173	16·88	429	12·68	322	7·38	187
November	2·60	66	5·54	140	3·88	99	4·57	116	0.78	20
December	0·48	12	4·73	120	1·48	38	2·10	53	0·24	6
Year	65·97	1,676	46·37	1,178	66·88	1,699	70·97	1,777	55·55	1,411

Place	Coban		Belize		Greytown		Colon
Situation	Guatemala, Inland		Atlantic Coast, British Honduras		Atlantic Coast, Costa Rica		Atlantic Coast, Panama
Latitude, N.	15° 30′		17° 32′		10° 30′		9° 22′
Longitude, W.	90° 25′		88° 10′		83° 22′		79° 55′
Elevation (feet)	2,500		near sea-level		near sea-level		near sea-level
Scale	Ins.	Mm.	Ins.	Mm.	Ins.	Mm.	Ins.	Mm.
January	5·36	136	5·78	147	21·39	543	1·88	48
February	4·58	116	3·08	78	5·78	147	1·49	38
March	3·67	93	1·54	39	4·75	120	1·30	33
April	2·44	62	1·54	39	10·39	264	2·65	68
May	7·22	183	3·24	83	12·73	328	11·40	290
June	12·47	317	8·18	208	16·63	422	13·67	347
July	12·22	310	9·09	231	29·87	760	14·14	359
August	8·28	210	8·18	208	20·03	509	14·64	372
September	9·53	242	8·63	219	9·29	236	12·40	315
October	9·82	249	12·68	322	14·42	366	13·54	345
November	8·90	226	9·14	232	20·96	530	23·18	589
December	6·66	169	7·08	180	26·57	675	11·98	304
Year	98·94	2,313	78·18	1,986	192·67	4,895	122·37	3,108

The West Indies.

—These islands are all under the influence of the north-east Trades, and enjoy a mild but rather moist climate, with comparatively little variation through the year. Nearly all of them are extremely healthy for places in the Tropics, although they are occasionally visited by devastating outbreaks of yellow fever.

The Americans have, however, proved in the case of Havana that it is quite possible to reduce the risk of this disease to a minimum by the adoption of appropriate measures against the mosquitoes that carry the disease, and it ought to be possible for any one, who takes the matter in earnest, to insure himself almost completely against this danger.

In the north, among the lesser Antilles, the Trade wind has an almost purely easterly direction. During the months from June to November terrific revolving storms, known as hurricanes, are of not uncommon occurrence and constitute one of the gravest drawbacks to cultivation, besides often causing much injury to life. So enormous is the force of the wind during these visitations that even objects of great weight and small surface are set in motion, it being an absolute fact that huge Admiralty anchors have been shifted from the position in which they lay in the dockyard at Port Royal in Jamaica.

Havana, Cuba. Lat. 23° 9′ N.; Long. 82° 23′W. Near Sea-level.
Month	Mean Temperature		Absolute Maxima		Absolute Minima		Relative Humidity	Rainfall		Number of Rainy Days
	F.	C.	F.	C.	F.	C.		Ins.	Mm.
January	70·3	21·3	84·4	29·1	52·3	11·3	75	2·71	68·7	7·5
February	72·0	22·2	87·6	30·9	51·4	10·7	73	2·27	57·2	5·7
March	73·2	22·9	91·4	33·0	55	12·8	70	1·83	46·0	5·5
April	76·1	24·5	93·6	34·3	52·9	11·6	69	2·83	72·0	4·6
May	78·8	26·0	99·0	37·2	64·4	18·0	71	4·47	113·2	9·3
June	81·5	27·5	97·7	36·5	69·1	20·6	76	7·16	181·7	12·8
July	82·4	28·0	100·6	38·2	71·2	21·8	74	5·06	128·5	12·7
August	82·2	27·9	98·6	37·0	69·8	21·0	75	6·02	153·1	12·6
September	80·7	27·0	96·1	35·6	70·9	21·6	79	6·71	171·0	15·4
October	78·1	25·7	91·9	33·2	61·9	16·6	78	7·42	188·5	15·1
November	75·3	24·0	88·7	31·5	56·5	13·6	77	3·08	78·3	10·2
December	71·4	21·8	86·0	30·0	51·8	11·0	74	2·15	54·6	8·5
Year	76·3	24·8	100·6	38·2	51·4	10·8	74	51·73	1313·5	119·9

It is unfortunately impossible, from considerations of space, to do more than give a few examples of the climatic conditions to be met with, but those selected may suffice to give a general idea of what may be expected, as no very great differences will be found, in spite of the large area over which these islands are scattered.

Jamaica, a table for which is given below, has a rather heavier rainfall of 70 ins. (1,778 mm.), but not so high as that of Martinique, 94·5 ins. (2,399 mm.), though even this cannot be considered high for a tropical climate. Of the other islands, Nassau in the Bahamas has 54·41 ins. (1,382 mm.); Port Au Prince, Haiti, 55 ins. (1,397 mm.); St. Croix, 46·56 ins. (1,183 mm.); St. Kitts, 51 ins. (1,295 mm.); Guadeloupe, 64·4 ins. (1,635 mm.); and Barbados, 57·74 ins. (1,467 mm.)—figures which serve well to indicate the general uniformity of climate throughout the group.