Monsoon winds are the most influential winds in the climate of South Asia and the Indian Ocean region. As the seasons change with the seasons, the direction of the monsoon winds changes with the change of seasons. In winter, dry monsoon winds blow from northeast (land) towards the sea and in summer from southwest (sea) towards land. The English word for monsoon is 'Monsoon', originally from the Arabic word 'mawsim ' . The word 'maosim' in Arabic means time or season. It is thought that this seasonal wind cycle began 12 million years ago (Middle Miocene) when the Himalayas were formed.