World Pressure Belts & Wind Systems — Map & Guide

Earth's seven pressure belts, mirrored symmetrically across the Equator, drive four wind systems — and learning the belts first, before the winds, is what makes the whole pattern click: each wind is just air flowing from a high-pressure belt to the nearest low, deflected by the Coriolis effect.

This is a blank practice map, not a pre-labeled reference map. Every location on it is left for you to identify and mark yourself — the facts on this page are your answer key for filling it in, exactly the way it's used for exam revision.

7 pressure belts, pole to pole

4 global wind systems

Explains why India gets a monsoon, not steady trade winds

What are the seven pressure belts, and the four winds they create?

Pole to pole: Polar High, Subpolar Low, Subtropical High, Equatorial Low (the doldrums) — then the same three belts mirror back up through the Southern Hemisphere. The four resulting wind systems are the Polar Easterlies (Polar High → Subpolar Low), the Prevailing Westerlies (Subtropical High → Subpolar Low, historically the 'Roaring Forties' sailing route), and the NE and SE Trade Winds (Subtropical High → Equatorial Low in each hemisphere) — the only system that blows toward the Equator from both hemispheres at once, meeting at the Intertropical Convergence Zone.

One convention trips people up every time: winds are named for the direction they blow FROM, not toward — a Westerly blows from the west toward the east, and an NE Trade Wind blows from the northeast toward the southwest.

Why does this pattern shift with the seasons?

The whole belt system isn't fixed in place — it migrates roughly 5°–10° following the sun through the year. That migration is exactly why the Indian subcontinent gets a full wind reversal (the monsoon) instead of a steady Trade Wind pattern like most of the tropics: as the belts shift north in the Northern Hemisphere summer, they pull the SE Trade Winds across the Equator, where they get deflected into the SW Monsoon.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the 7 pressure belts?

Two Polar Highs, two Subpolar Lows, two Subtropical Highs, and one Equatorial Low — mirrored across the Equator, pole to pole.

Why are winds named for the direction they blow FROM?

Standard meteorological convention — a Westerly blows from the west, an NE Trade Wind blows from the northeast, regardless of where it ends up.

How do pressure belts cause the Indian monsoon?

The belts migrate with the sun through the year; in the Northern Hemisphere summer they shift north enough to pull the SE Trade Winds across the Equator, where they're deflected into the SW Monsoon instead of a steady trade-wind pattern.