The Roaring Forties are located around which latitude?

• A. Forty degrees latitude
• B. Sixty degrees latitude
• C. Twenty degrees latitude
• D. Zero degrees latitude

Answer: (A)

The Roaring Forties describe a belt of exceptionally strong westerly winds in the Southern Hemisphere centered around 40 degrees south latitude. In the Southern Ocean, the combination of a broad, uninterrupted ocean surface and the mid-latitude westerly wind belt lets air move west to east with great gusto, creating roaring winds and large waves. This latitude sits between the calmer tropical regions near the equator and the more variable polar zones farther south, where different wind patterns dominate. So, the distinctive, persistent winds associated with this name are tied to roughly 40°S.