This is the area between 30Æ’ and 35Æ’ latitude where the dense cool air descends and the winds become weak. According to some traditions sailors relying solely on wind power threw their horses overboard in hopes that speed would increase due to the resulting lighter load of the ship. Other traditions state that the horses were thrown overboard to avoid depleting their provisions and still another states that this is simply the region where the horses perished. [World Book Millennium 2000; v.9, p.363][Encyclopedia of Weather and Climate; v.1, p.277]