Essay about William Shakespeare - 587 Words

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare was born in Statfordon-Avon, England in April 1564. The son of John Shakespeare a Glover and his mother Mary Arden who came of wealthy framing family. William Shakespeare was the eldest of three sons there were also four daughters, only one of his sisters out lived William. From when Shakespeare died there has been lots of books written about Shakespeare and his works. Such as Shakespeare in his Brie Lives written by Aurbery in the 17th century and Shakespeare Truth and Tradition written by Dr J. S. Smart in 1928. There have been many more but too many to list. Shakespeare grew up and developed a great sense of words and how to use them. He soon met a wife Anne Hathaway she was†¦show more content†¦Shakespeare started to really write he wrote most of his erotic poems Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece from 1593 to 1594. Both of these poems there dedicated to the Earl of Southampton. (I’m sure he was flattered) In the first period of writing f or Shakespeare he developed his writing as much as he could ortho only two of the plays he wrote would be common knowledge to any bloke. He wrote play and poems like Titus Andronicus , The Taming of the Shrew and an early version of Hamlet. The playhouse that these productions there being watched in was built and owned by the father of the actor Richard Burbage up to 1597 then the expiry of the lease forced them out and they had the find a new playhouse. They eventually had to build a another playhouse on the south bank of the river. Witch is now famous and called the Globe with the massive expense that this needed the father of Burbage decided that they needed people to help finance this operation. So he got partners to help with the cost one of the partners was William Shakespeare and even Richard Bubage was given a place in this fathers business. This was good for Shakespeare because he now had some funding so he could concentrate on writing. This period ended in 1594 With this change it brought about a great change in Shakespeare in the second period that lasted from 1594-1616 he started to write his greatest pieces such as Midsummer Night’s Dream,Show MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeare1735 Words   |  7 Pagesname? Would not a rose by any other name smell as sweet?† William Shakespeare, a name we have all heard at some point, but who is he? William Shakespeare, the man who has influenced our culture through his various literary works. What is the truth behind the brilliant man whom penned the renowned words filling the pages of the ever significant Romeo and Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing, or The Tempest? William Shakespeare was born William Shakspere. Aside from contemporary and popular belief, itRead MoreHamlet, By William Shakespeare Essay1453 Words   |  6 PagesHamlet by William Shakespeare explores many aspects of mankind--death, betrayal, love, and mourning. Out of these, the most prominent theme in this play is death in the form of suicide. The main character, Hamlet, finds himself questioning the quality of life and the uncertainty of the afterlife once he discovers news of his father s death and the corruption in the kingdom that follows. Ophelia, Hamlet’s lover, is found dead later in the plot and is presumed to have committed suicide. In Hamlet’sRead MoreThe Tempest By William Shakespeare1705 Words   |  7 PagesThe Tempest by William Shakespeare is the final play penned by the famous Bard. The play portrays the illusory struggle of power and conscience through the character of Prospero and his egocentric motives. Politically, the play can be seen as an analysis of important political issues relevant to that of oppression and imperialistic tendencies of the time. Artistically, The Tempest emphasizes the nature of art, more prominently, theatrical art. Being the final play that Shakespeare ever wrote, itRead MoreHamlet, By William Shakespeare899 Words   |  4 PagesWilliam Shakespeare, author of Hamlet, was a well-known author in the 1500s and is still popular today. He was born on April 24, 1564 in London, England. Although there were no birth records at that time, it shows he was baptized one year prior to that, which leads us to believe his birthday was in 1564 because children were normally baptized a year after their birth. Shakespeare’s writing style was very different than others at that time. He used many metaphors and rhetorical phrases, and most ofRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Works Of Shakespeare1126 Words   |  5 Pagesback story of the author himself; William Shakespeare. Shakespeare was born April 26, 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, which is located in the United Kingdom. Even though his goals were to become an actor, he fell into writing and become one of the most well-known writers in his life. There s a lot of controversy surrounding Shakespeare and there s many people who believe that he, himself did not write his famous plays, sonnets, and poems. In his lifetime, Shakespeare wrote thirty-seven plays, five longRead MoreEssay On William Shakespeare1127 Words   |  5 PagesThis is an informational essay about Poet, Actor, and Playwright,William Shakespeare. In this essay you can find much information ranging from fun facts to his d eath. This essay tells much about his life and includes some details of family members. The key purpose of this essay is to inform curious people about William Shakespeare. â€Å"I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a humanRead MoreHamlet, By William Shakespeare996 Words   |  4 PagesHamlet, written by William Shakespeare, with out a doubt holds the most famous soliloquy in English history spoken by Hamlet in Act III, scene i, lines 57-90. This soliloquy holds much importance to the play as a whole because it ties together the reoccurring themes of suicide and Hamlet’s inaction portrayed by Shakespeare. Hamlet poses a problem, which is the driving force of the play: â€Å"To be or not to be?†(III.i.57). Shakespeare uses this logical question asked by Hamlet to drive out his underlyingRead MoreOthello, By William Shakespeare1178 Words   |  5 Pagesno ordinary villain but a Machiavellian fictional character. The deviation between the two would be Iago does anything needed to accomplish his goal. He supports Machiavelli s statement that â€Å"the end justifies the means† with his actions within Shakespeare s Othello. Iago accomplished his goal through a thought out plan in which he did anything necessary; even murder. I am using his article, to claim the motive for Iago comes from the character Othello giving a job to a man named Cassio. Iago believedRead More William Shakespeare Essay1045 Words   |  5 Pages William Shakespeare nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;On April 26, 1564, John Shakespeares son, William, was baptized at the Stratford Parish Church. No one knows for certain when his birthday was. (Brown 22) It was thought that young Shakespeare began attending school at the age 7, in Stratford. (Wadsworth 344) Before Shakespeare reached the age of 13, his family endured hardships. Shakespeares formal schooling ceased. At that time, William may have begun helping his father in the gloving businessRead MoreThe World Of William Shakespeare950 Words   |  4 Pagesworld of William Shakespeare was such a time. In the age of man’s revision of his culture and sense of humanity after the dark Middle Ages there was money and fame to be earned in the gossipy tales of mankind’s utter lack of culture and cruel inhumanity. In truth, it has never stopped, the same plot devices in service by the playwrights of the Renaissance are still drawing blood and audiences today. It is always intriguing to hear salacious stories of someone else’s wrong doing, and Shakespeare had a

How Should I Format My College Application Essay?

How Should I Format My College Application Essay?Is there a certain format for the College Application Essay? I often hear from students asking this question. While it is very important to follow a format for your essay, there are many other things you should think about. Here are some tips for you to consider when you want to create a great college essay.First, make sure that you understand what a college application essay is all about. The College Application Essay is a section of the college application questionnaire. It is the final section in which your high school transcript is reviewed to determine whether or not you are accepted to the school. You must submit a high school transcript to some schools to gain admission. If you don't have one, make sure that you take advantage of the school's help and get one.The College Application Essays are meant to tell a story about yourself and your strengths. Make sure that you start your essay on a strong note. Be sure to highlight your accomplishments. Make sure that you also focus on your weaknesses. Here are some suggestions for you to use.Make sure that your application essay is short and sweet. This is very important when you are trying to create a compelling essay that will stand out among your competitors. You do not want to deviate from this when you are creating your college application essay.Now you know what college application essay is all about, and now you want to know how should I format my college application essay. You can do this yourself, or you can hire a professional writer to write one for you. The best writers do not charge a large fee for their services because they are not just writing for you.You should only choose a professional writer to do your college application essays if you are truly passionate about the topic. You do not want to hire a professional writer that can write for you on auto-pilot because then you would be paying for an essay that does not reflect who you are and what yo u are looking for.How should I format my college application essays? There are some things that you can use as a guideline, but a professional writer will work on your specifications. You can take advantage of free samples to help you decide how you want your essay to look. Look at different samples to see which one works best for you.Remember that there are many elements of College Application Essays. You should be able to learn the format, but also what works best for you in terms of keywords in your own style.

Use Social Media Essay Samples to Boost Your Essay Writing Efforts

Use Social Media Essay Samples to Boost Your Essay Writing EffortsIf you're considering an online degree, perhaps your next move will be to post your essays on websites like Facebook and Twitter. You should consider posting these in social media essay samples.You can join in the social media essay samples by making use of pre-written content. However, don't just take my word for it.On the contrary, a large number of students who have used social media essay samples report a dramatic increase in their grades when they use them. Furthermore, students find that the essay samples are much more relevant than textbooks, as you can use them on your favorite social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.Even though most of the sites offer you the choice of making a personal profile and writing your essays, there is no need to create a profile if you are not going to do it. Once you've created your profile, you can choose the topic that you want to write about and other students can follow you .In the article body you can include what you are going to write in an article, how long you are planning to write it for, which article directories you plan to submit it to, and so on. All you have to do is to create a title or headline that reflects your purpose for writing and the rest can be left to the blog or article directory.When you decide to write an article and share it with other people, you will need to use the right social media essay samples. This means that you need to register at one of the best article directories that provides pre-written articles and it will keep you updated with new pre-written articles.All you have to do is to make sure that you have registered at all article directories that you may be thinking of writing at and this way you can also get the help of others at the writer's room. Don't worry about the time, because you can write more than one article within a day.

Chicana Role in Society Free Essays

JannineClare Mendioro K. Land Puente English 102 12/07/12 Paper #5 My mom would sometimes look at me and says my generation is lucky. I never did give a thought what she meant about what she said especially when I came from a family, a clan where women are normally treated as equal as men and sometimes are more precious. We will write a custom essay sample on Chicana Role in Society or any similar topic only for you Order Now But as I slowly grow up, I realized my family traditions view of women are different from the majority of people. In majorities, traditionally women are supposed to stay at home, take care of the kids and dependent towards men. The only females that were permitted to go during the old days were wealthy privilege daughters. During the generation x, women have concerns about equality. Even though Anglo women generally have the same concern with color women, Chicana women have more problem due to their cultural difference which cause Chicana to struggle to adapt in current society means. Regardless what race, majority of women were conventionally oppressed and were not seen equal to men. In â€Å"La Chicana: Her Role in the Past and Her Search for a New Role in the Future† by Berinice Rincon, Rincon portrays Chicanas role in the family. Rincon explains that Chicana women are â€Å" †¦ xpected to be submissive, faithful, devoted, and respectful to her husband and to take the major responsibility for rearing the children†(25). The wife’s role in the family is to take care of the kids and the household chores. She is not expected to do anything that’s not related to household chore and taking care of the children. Specifically, â€Å"†¦. Nor is she supposed to share in [her] [husband] political, economic or social activities unless they are centered around the home†(Rincon,25) and she may â€Å"†¦ not interrupt when [he] talk about the things that interest [him] and [his] friends†(Brady,25). As Brady stated, the ideal wife is â€Å"A wife who will have the house clean†(25). Brady is a white housewife who is also expected to do the chores at home. Women were not supposed to talk about political and/or economic view because by doing so they would be questioning mens decision. In addition, Kincaid, a caribbean women claims that the mothers also teaches their daughter â€Å"How to iron [their] father’s khaki shirt†(Kincaid) because when they grow up they would be the one who will iron their husbands khaki. The mother is conditioning their daughter to be submissive by teaching them to take care of the household chores and following her footsteps. Furthermore, Brady conveys that men would like a women who will support them in their career. A wife who would work for him to go to school, take care of the family and take care of the house. Then the men would want â€Å"†¦ a wife to quit working and remain at home so that [his] wife can more fully and completely take care of wife duties† (Brady,26). Because, traditionally women were viewed to stay at home and not work. Thus, â€Å"It is her place and duty to stand behind and back up her macho† (Vidal,23). Actually, White women and Chicanas tackles the same issues in society. First, â€Å"Women are not accepted as community leaders either by the Chicano movement or by the Anglo establishment†(Vidal, 22). During generation x, it is not common to have a women as a leader because they were conventionally portrayed to be submissive and not involved in economic and/or political view thus making it harder for them to gain equality and/or fight for change in their current situation. In fact, â€Å"The white male rulers would want Chicana to accept their oppression precisely because they understand that when Chicanas begin a movement demanding legal abortion, child care, and equal pay for equal work, this movement will pose a real threat to their ability to rule†(Vidal,24). White men want Chicana to accept their oppression because if they don’t accept oppression, they would help their white female counterparts to gain equality considering that they have generally the same concerns therefore posing a threats towards white mens power. On this occasion women wants equal pay and right to control their own bodies. What’s more, â€Å"84% agreed that women do not receive equal pay for equal work† (Vidal, 21). Women were not treated equally. Even though they do the same work as the men, no matter what race they were, women were not getting payed with the same amount of money as the men did which will cost shortage in home income. Less money they bring at home the more they will have problems because the cost of living is going up. Furthermore, Vidal claims the Chicana movement would want â€Å"Free legal abortions and birth control for the Chicano community†(21). Both Chicanas and White women are concerned about the right to control their own bodies as resulted in Roe vs Wade where wade won the case and her right to control her body. Thus both White and Chicana women wanted to have a free legal abortion and birth controls because with birth controls they could have more control on how many children they will have. Their expenses will increase if they have more children. It will be harder to support 5 or more kids especially if they only have a low income job. Although White women and Chicana women have things in common, Chicana women are more affected due to racial difference thus making it harder for them to cope in current time. In Latino culture a bad women is viewed as â€Å"The Mala is hard and impious and independent like the macho† (Rincon, 26). In this instance,â€Å"The social station of la mujer mala-Indian women- was [†¦. ] [that] [they] actively participated in the religious, social and commercial life of their own people. They shared the responsibility of the household and also contributed to the economy and social life†(NietoGomez, La Chicana.. 50) but â€Å"The Anglo tradition of industrial and political democracy has encourage women to actively seek equal rights and employment outside the home† (Rincon,26). This is where traditional values of Chicana is crushed with modern time. It was harder for chicana to be encouraged by the industrial and political democracy of the Anglo to fight for their ind ependence because Chicanas culture viewed an independent woman and a woman who participates in economic and politics as a â€Å"bad† women just like the la mujer mala-Indian women. Hence â€Å"The Chicana is torn between being what her [Culture] wants her to be and what she knows she must become in order to function in today’s action oriented world† (Rincon,26). To function to current time she needs to be independent but her cultural views contradicts it. As a result â€Å"84% felt that they were not encourage to seek professional careers and that higher education is not considered important for Mexican women†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Vidal,21). Because most Mexican women felt like higher education is not necessary, they wouldn’t obtain higher education therefore making them only eligible to have a job as a worker. To put it another way, â€Å" Raza women suffer a triple form of oppression: as members of an oppressed nationality, as workers, and as women†(Vidal,23). â€Å"Because the Chicana may suffer from the sex discrimination as well as from racial discrimination, the Chicanas income is at the bottom of the economic ladder† (NietoGomez, Chicanas in.. ,126). For example, â€Å"The median income of the Chicano ($5100) is almost three times as much as the median income of the Chicana ($1800)† (NietoGonez, Chicanas in.. ,126). â€Å"Therefore, the Chicana is primarily a poorly paid worker, with ittle or no job opportunities† (NietoGonez, Chicanas in.. ,127). Chicana is basically the most unprivileged people. Their own culture discriminate them to be independent and if they try to get a job they have the least opportunity to earn money and to change their current situation. It would be more tougher if the women is a single parent and/or the only one in the family who has an income. As a result of Chicanas cultural values where women are supposed to be dependent, it made it harder for them to advance in society. Their cultural values collided with moderns times cause them to be behind in society’s change. That explains why there are only few successful chicanas because it took them longer to be encourage to have a career. In todays generation, generation y, women are encouraged to have careers, especially minority women. In fact, there are scholarship, programs and foundations that encourage minority women to go to male dominant fields. There are still a little discrimination in workplace but it’s not as severe as before and it’s pretty rare too. If someone discriminate a person due to their gender, that person could sue the person who discriminated them. There are still double standards but as time goes by double standards slowly fades away. â€Å"The status quo must go! It is a new time, and we need to make use everybody’s talent and energy† (Rincon,25). For our country to develop and become more successful we need to encourage everybody to strive for a higher standard and provide them the opportunity to reach their dreams no matter what race and/or gender they are. How to cite Chicana Role in Society, Essay examples

Quality Circles free essay sample

Quality circles were first developed in the 1960s by a man named Kaoru Ishikawa in Japan. The Union of Japanese Scientists and Engineers (JUSE) were the ones who paid for the research that put the theories about behavior science and quality control together. A quality circle is a participatory management technique that enlists the help of employees in solving problems related to their own jobs. Circles are formed of employees working together in an operation who meet at intervals to discuss problems of quality and to devise solutions for improvements. A quality circle is a small voluntary group of employees and their supervisor(s), comprising a team of about 8 to 10 members from the same work area or department. Quality circles are useful because the members of the team are from the same workplace and face similar problems. This concept is a management tool that has many benefits for their own work environment. We will write a custom essay sample on Quality Circles or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Some examples of those benefits are control and improvement of quality, more effective company communication, using employee problem solving capabilities, and more job involvement. Ron Basu and J. Nevan Wright, in their book  Quality Beyond Six Sigma  (another quality management technique) specified seven conditions for successful implementation of quality circles. These are summarized below: 1. Quality circles must be staffed entirely by volunteers. 2. Each participant should be representative of a different functional activity. 3. The problem to be addressed by the QC should be chosen by the  circle, not by management, and the choice honored even if it does not visibly lead to a management goal. . Management must be supportive of the circle and fund it appropriately even when requests are trivial and the expenditure is difficult to envision as helping toward real solutions. 5. Circle members must receive appropriate training in problem solving. 6. The circle must choose its own leader from within its own members. 7. Management should appoint a manager as the mentor of the team, charged with helping members of the circle achieve their objectives; but thi s person must not manage the QC. Example where the concept is used Quality circles can be used by large business and small groups. One example of a large firm using this concept is Xerox. Xerox has an annual teamwork day and because of a past teamwork day they were able to prevent 6500 tons of waste from going to a landfill. Their solution at the time of seeing the problem with the about of waste they were producing was a recycling program which worked. Conclusion Bibliography and electronic sources http://www. inc. com/encyclopedia/quality-circles. html

Modern Family Essays

Modern Family Essays Modern Family Essay Modern Family Essay Each and every person is born into a family. The family is an arena in which virtually the entire range of human experience can take place. Warfare, love, violence, tenderness, honesty, deceit, private property, communal sharing, power manipulation, egalitarian decision making- all can be found within the setting of a family. In society, wherever people may look, the issue of family life is always being portrayed. Most movies and television shows like the famous TV show â€Å"Seventh Heaven,† try to represent the ideal perfect family. But in reality we all know that the media family life is nothing like our own. In this essay the focus point is the way children, parents, and family life are presented within a televised family, and if they are being portrayed accurately, if social issues which affect them dealt with, and if media represents the changing face of the three. First of all, during the time children are in front of a television, one of the things children often see is a reflection of themselves. How children see people their age is important, because it helps shape how young people view themselves and their place in the world around them. Most television shows do not portray children accurately. Most children shown on television are motivated most often by peer relationships and romance, and least often by school related or religious issues. Yes, issues on romance are more entertaining than school-related issues, but romance is not the only issue that real children have to deal with in there live. Personally, more family sitcoms should have more episodes on children characters tying to get good grades and more of an education, and spend less time on romances issues. This is because if children watch more shows on children working hard to get good grades, it might motivate the young viewers to do the same. Another fact that television does not do is deal with import social issues. In today’s society many children go through a lot of different experiences while becoming a teenager. These children are presented with many issues such as substance abuse, and domestic violence that they have not ever been thought. Most children watch family sitcoms to get some advice on growing up and becoming a teenager. These children hope to relate to what the television character is going through. Some shows actually do present issues that teens go though. For example, television show Seventh Heaven had an episode of a girl being in a gang. It dealt with the issue of drugs, violence and weapons. The episode was about the girl getting in the gang. In order for the girl to be excepted in the gang the members of the group already beat her to see if she was strong enough to be a part of their violent group. This episode was very educational because it had to deal with a real issue that many teens have to go though in everyday life. Furthermore, a common myth about the American family is that the dad is the breadwinner in the house and that some of the moms are just housewives. That mom’s can have it all and everyone is just peaceful and honest. Many parents work and also have a family life also. Many television shows tend to miss that issue. On television whenever an issue comes up at work there is always a babysitter there to take care of the children. This is a problem for real people. Work and family life have a habit of intertwining. You will never see this happening on television because of the nature of the television world. The majority of the prime-time characters are male, and few of them appear to have family obligations. Parents are insufficient, and working mothers are still quite unusual. Family responsibilities rarely come up at work, and when they do, they are easily met. Television has not changed face since the old times. It has some catching up to do when it comes to the issue of gender roles, which play an important part in how work and family issues are portrayed. TV women, unlike TV men, are still mostly defined by their family relationships. When women characters do have work and family conflicts, it is usually because work is affecting their primary role at home. Lastly, the way family life is viewed in the media is the third issue that is being presented. Today, popular sitcoms of the day have became the arena for acting out the struggles, fears, aspirations and the contradiction in our lives, and above all, those of our families. But the television producers that make these sitcoms about are family lives have a hard time matching television families to normal real life families. For example, the Fox network delivered the show Married with Children. A sitcom that is suggestive of the reaction to feminism. The show features a working class, dysfunctional family who is trapped by their narrow lives, long standing complaints and by insults that leave the experiences into self-parody. Yes, many families in society are dysfunctional but not as bad as this show. Also there are no signs of affection used in any of the episodes. Obviously, the question of family life being portrayed accurately is answered. The funny thing about televised families is that it changed face but in a bad way. As time passes situations involved in the show get worse and worse. In the 1950s shows like Leave it to Beaver was on the air. This show was the type of show that we wished are family was like. It was about a family who had no problems involved in their life. Whenever there was a problem there was an answer that immediately was found. In this show the father had the final word, and whatever he agreed on went. The mother stayed home to take care of the house, while the father went to work. Television has always been a site of struggle for the family, giving us what we would like to believe but measure against lived experiences. On the Cosby Show the issue of racism was never involved. Also this show gives the example of Father knowing best. But not all-family sitcoms are dysfunctional. Sitcoms such as Seventh Heaven, and Full House produce many values of a loving family. In conclusion, this essay focused on the way children, parents and family issues are presented within a media family, and also if they are being portrayed accurately, if social issues which affect family life dealt with, and if media represents the changing face of the family. As we know TV entertains us, but it also shapes our view of the real world. Views of what are important and what needs to be changed. Showing how families cope with their own problems lets viewers knows that they are not alone in their struggles and can offer them hope for solutions.

The Geography of Earths Equator

The Geography of Earths Equator Planet Earth is a roundish planet. In order to map it, geographers overlay grid of lines of latitude and longitude. Latitudinal lines wrap around the planet from east to west, while longitude lines go from north to south. The equator is an imaginary line that runs from east to west on Earths surface and is exactly halfway between the north and south  poles (the northernmost and southernmost points on the Earth). It also divides the Earth into the northern hemisphere and the southern hemisphere and is an important line of latitude for navigational purposes. It is at 0 ° latitude,  and all other measurements head north or south from it. The poles are at 90 degrees north and south. For reference, the corresponding line of longitude is the prime meridian. Earth at the Equator User:Cburnett / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons The equator is the only line on the Earths surface that is considered a great circle. This is defined as any circle drawn on a sphere (or an oblate spheroid) with a center that includes the center of that sphere. The equator thus qualifies as a great circle because it passes through the exact center of the Earth and divides it in half. Other lines of latitude north and south of the equator are not great circles because they shrink as they move toward the poles. As their length decreases, they do not all pass through the center of the Earth. Earth is an oblate spheroid that is slightly squished at the poles, which means it bulges at the equator. This pudgy basketball shape comes from a combination of Earths gravity and its rotation. As it spins, Earth flattens just a bit, making diameter at the equator 42.7 km larger than the diameter of the planet from pole to pole. Earths circumference at the equator is 40,075 km and  40,008 km at the poles. Earth also rotates faster at the equator. It takes 24 hours for the Earth to make one full rotation  on its axis, and since the planet is bigger at the equator, it has to move faster to make one full rotation. Therefore, to find the speed of Earths rotation around its middle, divide 40,000 km by 24 hours to get  1,670 km per hour. As one moves north or south in latitude from the equator the Earths circumference is reduced and thus the speed of rotation decreases slightly. The Climate at the Equator The equator is distinct from the rest of the globe in its physical environment as well as its geographic characteristics. For one thing, the equatorial climate remains much the same year-round. The dominant patterns are warm and wet or warm and dry. Much of the equatorial region is also characterized as being humid. These climactic patterns occur because the region at the equator receives the most incoming solar radiation. As one moves away from the equatorial regions, solar radiation levels change, which allows other climates to develop and explains the temperate weather in the mid-latitudes and the colder weather at the poles. The tropical climate at the equator allows an amazing amount of biodiversity. It features many different species of plants and animals and is home to the largest areas of tropical rainforests in the world. Countries Along the Equator In addition to the dense tropical rainforests along the equator, the line of latitude crosses the land and water of 12 countries  and several oceans. Some land areas are sparsely populated, but others, like Ecuador, have large populations and have some of their largest cities on the equator. For example, Quito, Ecuadors capital, is within a kilometer of the equator. As such, the citys center features a museum and monument marking the equator. More Interesting Equatorial Facts The equator has special significance beyond being a line on a grid. For astronomers, the extension of the equator out to space marks the celestial equator. People who live along the equator and watch the sky will  notice that the sunsets and sunrises are very fast and the length of each day remains fairly constant through the year.   Sailors of old (and new) celebrate equator passages when their ships cross the equator heading either north or south. These festivals range from some pretty raucous events onboard naval and other vessels to fun parties for passengers on pleasure cruise ships. For space launches, the equatorial region offers a bit of a speed boost to rockets, allowing them to save on fuel as they launch eastward.   Edited and updated by Carolyn Collins Petersen.