What is the Inter-tropical Convergence Zone?

The intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) is a region near the equator where winds from the northern and southern hemispheres come together. Consequences of the ITCZ's movement are the "monsoon seasons" that affect areas in the tropics, as well as the formation of tropical storms during the local hemispheric summer (north or south of the equator). Navigators in the age of sail learned to utilize the "trade winds" that blow to the east along the edge of the ITCZ.