Major Global Climatic Regions Explained

World Climate Zones: Characteristics and Locations

Equatorial Humid Climate

• High temperatures throughout the year, around 26°C, with little annual range.
• It rains all months, averaging 2000mm.
• Soils in the jungle are poor.
• Locations: Congo and Amazon basins, the Gulf of Guinea, Indonesia, South India, Madagascar.

Tropical Climate with Dry and Wet Seasons

• Temperature range is 10°C between the warmest and the coldest month.
• Generally warm all year, with rainfall distributed in a wet season.
• Heavy rains are due to the monsoon winds. Rainfall exceeds 1500mm.
• Vegetation ranges from tropical forest to dense gallery forest, savannah, woodland, and herbaceous savannah.
• Locations: Central America and the Caribbean, much of South America, Africa south of the Sahara, SE Asia, North of Australia.

Warm Desert Climate

• Locations: Arizona, Peru coast, Sahara, Central Australian desert, Ethiopia, Kalahari.
• Precipitations are below 350mm, with a large number of dry months.
• Temperatures can rise to 30°C.
• There is a great variation between day and night temperatures.
• Absence of vegetation.

Cold Desert and Steppes Climate

• Locations: Nevada, Patagonia, Caucasus, Gobi, Southern Siberia.
• Precipitations are very slim, with very low temperatures around 0°C.
• Large difference between summers and winters.
• Vegetation: weeds and isolated brush.

Mediterranean Climate

• Locations: California, Valparaiso, shores on the Mediterranean, Iberian Peninsula (except North of P, Galicia, Cantabrian), SW of South Africa, SW of Australia.
• Rainfall between 400 and 800mm in autumn and spring; no rain in summer.
• Mild and short winters (around 10°C); hot summers (around 25°C).
• Vegetation: Holm oak (evergreen) and fragrant steppe plants (thyme, rosemary).

Chinese Climate Type

• Locations: SE USA, River Plate, SE of South Africa, Eastern Australia, coasts of China and south of Japan.
• Temperatures are similar to the Mediterranean.
• Rainfall is around 1000mm, especially in summer; lower in winter.
• Vegetation: Laurel forest.

Oceanic Climate

• Locations: Pacific coast of Canada, Southern Chile, Western Europe; New Zealand and Tasmania.
• It rains regularly, about 1000mm, with no dry months.
• Summers are cool (less than 20°C) and winters are mild (5-10°C); the sea softens temperatures.
• Vegetation: Oak and beech forest (deciduous), heathland with gorses, grassland, and bracken.

Continental Climate

Locations: Canada, interior and SE USA, central Europe; Siberia and N. China and Japan.

Characteristics

• High thermal contrast between winters and summers.
• Winters are cool, and there is a rainy season.
• Precipitations average 800mm.
• Dry months occur in winter.
• Vegetation: Coniferous forest (taiga) and tallgrass prairie.

Subpolar Climate

• Locations: North Asia and America.
• Freezing winters and temperatures, few hours of light.
• Short and cold summers.
• Vegetation: Herbal vegetation (tundra).
• Scarce precipitation, great temperature variation between summer and winter.

Mountain Climate

Occurs in all mountains, generally above 2000m.

Altitude Effects

• For every 100m in altitude, temperatures decrease by 0.64°C.
• Rainfall is abundant, more than 1000 or 2000mm, with no dry months.
• Vegetation (forest, moors, meadows) changes with altitude.