Maritime Continent

Maritime Continent is the name given primarily by meteorologists and oceanographers to the region of Southeast Asia which comprises, amongst other countries, Indonesia, Philippines and Papua New Guinea.

The region is significant in meteorology because it is considered the most important energy source region in the entire global circulation system owing to a number of coincident factors, the most significant being geographic location and topography, both of which contribute to the development of the Tropical Warm Pool, which is the warmest large area of ocean on Earth.

Coined by Colin Ramage in 1968,[2] the name combines the terms maritime and continent normally used as opposites in the description of climate.

In the Southeast Asia region, land masses and bodies of water are, roughly speaking, evenly distributed.

This produces a widespread area of diurnal thunderstorms which pump huge quantities of moisture and heat high up into the atmosphere.