Assertion (A) : Areas lying within five to eight degrees latitude on either side of the equator receive rainfall throughout the year. Reason (R) : High temperatures and high humidity cause convectional rain to fall mostly in the afternoons near the equator.

Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true, and R correctly explains A. The equatorial belt receives rainfall throughout the year — there is no distinct dry season and precipitation is evenly distributed in equatorial regions, as noted for the equatorial climate (Af) where rainfall occurs in all months [1]. The dominant mechanism is intense daytime heating and very high humidity that produce vigorous convection and frequent cumulonimbus development, yielding heavy, often afternoon, thunderstorms and an annual precipitation surplus [2]. This persistent convective activity is reinforced by the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) convergence of moist trade winds, which sustains year‑round uplift and rainfall near the equator, explaining the continual precipitation within about 5°–8° latitudes.

Sources

1. [1] FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, Geography Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 10: Water in the Atmosphere > World Distribution of Rainfall > p. 89
2. [2] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 30: Climatic Regions > Precipitation > p. 425