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Abstract. The continental tropics play a leading role in the terrestrial energy,water, and carbon cycles. Land–atmosphere interactions are integral in theregulation of these fluxes across multiple spatial and temporal scales overtropical continents. We review here some of the important characteristics oftropical continental climates and how land–atmosphere interactions regulatethem. Along with a wide range of climates, the tropics manifest a diversearray of land–atmosphere interactions. Broadly speaking, in tropicalrainforest climates, light and energy are typically more limiting thanprecipitation and water supply for photosynthesis and evapotranspiration (ET),whereas in savanna and semi-arid climates, water is the critical regulatorof surface fluxes and land–atmosphere interactions. We discuss the impact ofthe land surface, how it affects shallow and deep clouds, and how theseclouds in turn can feed back to the surface by modulating surface radiationand precipitation. Some results from recent research suggest that shallowclouds may be especially critical to land–atmosphere interactions. On theother hand, the impact of land-surface conditions on deep convection appearsto occur over larger, nonlocal scales and may be a more relevantland–atmosphere feedback mechanism in transitional dry-to-wet regions andclimate regimes.