<Table> <Tr> <Td> <1200 h 1200--1600 h 1600--2000 h 2000--2400 h </Td> <Td> 2400--3000 h 3000--3600 h 3600--4000 h> 4000 h </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> <1200 h 1200--1600 h 1600--2000 h 2000--2400 h </Td> <Td> 2400--3000 h 3000--3600 h 3600--4000 h> 4000 h </Td> </Tr> <P> Sunshine duration follows a general geographic pattern: dry areas in the subtropical latitudes (about 25 ° to 40 ° north / south) have the highest sunshine values, because these are the locations of the eastern sides of the subtropical high pressure systems, associated with the large - scale descent of air from the upper - level tropopause . Many of the world's driest climates are found adjacent to the eastern sides of the subtropical highs, which create stable atmospheric conditions, little convective overturning, and little moisture and cloud cover . Desert regions, with nearly constant high pressure aloft and rare condensation--like North Africa, the Southwestern United States, Western Australia, and the Middle East--are examples of hot, sunny, dry climates where sunshine duration values are very high . </P> <P> The two major areas with the highest sunshine duration, measured as annual average, are the central and the eastern Sahara Desert--covering vast, mainly desert countries such as Egypt, Sudan, Libya, Chad, and Niger--and the Southwestern United States (Arizona, California, Nevada). The city claiming the official title of the sunniest in the world is Yuma, Arizona, with over 4,000 hours (about 91% of daylight time) of bright sunshine annually, but many climatological books suggest there may be sunnier areas in North Africa . In the belt encompassing northern Chad and the Tibesti Mountains, northern Sudan, southern Libya, and Upper Egypt, annual sunshine duration is estimated at over 4,000 hours . There is also a smaller, isolated area of sunshine maximum in the heart of the western section of the Sahara Desert around the Eglab Massif and the Erg Chech, along the borders of Algeria, Mauritania, and Mali where the 4,000 - hour mark is exceeded, too . Some places in the interior of the Arabian Peninsula receive 3,600--3,800 hours of bright sunshine annually . The largest sun - baked region in the world (over 3,000 hours of yearly sunshine) is North Africa . The sunniest month in the world is December in Eastern Antarctica, with almost 23 hours of bright sun daily . </P>

Does every place on earth get the same amount of sunlight