Climatic Regions of the World

The world is made up of several climatic regions. The geographer’s approach to classifying the climatic regions of the world uses the maximum and minimum temperatures and the temperature range as well as the total and seasonal distribution of precipitationPrecipitation is any liquid or frozen water that forms in the atmosphere and falls back to the Earth. It comes in many forms, like rain, sleet, and snow. More.

The major climatic regions of the world are;

Equatorial Climatic Region:

This is between latitude 5ºN and 10ºS, North and South of the equatorThe Equator is Zero degrees (0°) latitude. The Sun is directly overhead the equator at noon on the two equinoxes (March and Sept. 20 or 21). The equator divides the globe... More respectively. There is heavy precipitation of about 150 cm per year. This region gets very hot, and due to this, the mornings are mostly bright and sunny while evenings receive convectional rainfall. Thunder and lightning accompany the torrential rainfall.

The Amazon Basin (South America), Zaire Basin (Africa, especially Western Africa), and South-East Asia (mainly islands) are three well-defined regions of this category.

The Savannah or Sudan Climate:

It is located between 10ºN and 20ºS of the Equator. It is regarded as a transitional climate between the equatorial forests and the trade wind hot deserts. It exists within the tropics and is best developed in the Sudan where the dry and wet seasons are most distinct, hence its name the Sudan Climate. 

This climate is characterised by alternating hot, rainy season and cool, dry season. The dominant winds in this region are the Trade winds that bring rain to the coastal districts. The Savanna is the grassland of the tropical zone – The Savanna is known as the Natural Zoo of the World. Good examples of this Climate can be found in the Kano State of Nigeria, Llanos and Campos in South America, Central and Northern parts of Australia.

The Hot Desert and Mid-Latitude Desert Climate:

This is found between 20ºN and 30ºS of the Equator. The off-shore Trade winds cause the aridity of the hot desert. This is the reason they are known as trade wind deserts. A good example is the biggest desert in the world which is the Sahara Desert of Africa. The next biggest desert is the Great Australian Desert. Other Hot Deserts are Arabian, Iranian, Thar, Kalahari, Namib, Nubian, Mohave (USA), Atacama. The Cold Deserts are Patagonia, Turkestan, and Gobi.

The Warm Temperate Western Margin or Mediterranean Climate:

This is located between Latitudes 30ºN and 40ºS. This region has dry summers that are hot or warm and the winters are cool or mild with rainfall being moderate or high. This climate is applicable to most of the land near the Mediterranean Sea, that is, the Coastland around the Mediterranean Sea.

Other important regions that experience this climate are; Southern Tips of South-west Africa near Cape Town; Southern Australia (in southern Victoria and around Adelaide, bordering the St. Vincent and Spencer Gulfs); South West Australia (Swanland); California around San Francisco; Central Chile in South America. The region is noted for orchard farming of citrus and fibrous fruits.

Temperate Grasslands or Steppe Climate:

This is found between Latitudes 40ºN and 55ºS of the Equator. It is out of oceanic influence hence the land is dry. The rainfall in this region is unreliable and meagre. The annual range of temperature is 130ºC and the annual rainfall range is 30 cm. The sub-regions of this climatic region are known by different names in different regions: Steppes (Eurasia); Pustaz (Hungary); Prairies (USA); Pampas (South America- Argentina and Uruguay); Velds (South Africa); Downs (Australia-Murray-Darling basin of southern Australia); Canterbury (New Zealand).

Cool Temperate Continental or Taiga or Siberian Climate:

It is located between Latitudes 55ºN and 70ºS. This region is characterized by bitterly cold winters and cool brief summers. The rainfall average is 35-60 cm and is well distributed through one year and summer experiences the maximum rainfall. Due to the fact that there is no landmass in the South, it is only experienced in the Northern HemisphereA hemisphere is half the Earth's surface. The four hemispheres are the Northern and Southern hemispheres, divided by the equator (0° latitude), and the Eastern and Western hemispheres, divided by the... More. Important regions that experience this sort of climate are Alaska across Canada into Labrador and high Rocky Mountains; Moscow and adjoining belt in Siberia; and Central Europe.

The Arctic or Polar or Tundra Climate:

This is located between Latitudes 70ºN and 90ºS. This specific Climate is one of the earth’s coldest and harshest climates. The ecosystems of this climatic region are treeless. This is applicable to regions found in the Arctic and on the tops of mountains, where the climate is cold and windy and rainfall is scant. The lands of this region are snow-covered for much of the year until summer brings a burst of wildflowers.

The Tropical Monsoon and Tropical Maritime Climate:

It is also known as tropical wet climate or trade-wind littoral climate. It is a tropical climate and it is influenced by the ocean. This climate is experienced by Islands and coastal areas between 10ºN and 20ºS of the Equator. This region experiences two major seasons, the wet and dry seasons. The annual rainfall is from 1000 mm to over 1500 mm.

Temperature ranges from 20ºC to 35ºC. The winds are trade winds and are experienced all year round and are moist because they pass over warm seas. These climatic conditions are found, for example, across the Caribbean; the Eastern coasts of Brazil, Bombay (Mumbai), Madagascar and Queensland; and many islands in tropical waters.