Natural Regions of the World

These are the type of climates found within the tropics, mainly between 23½° north and 23½° south of the equator.

1. Equatorial climate
2. Tropical continental climate
3. Tropical monsoon climate
4. Tropical marine climate
5. Tropical desert climate

Location

1. The region is found between 0° and 5° north and south of the equator.
2. In some areas, it may extend up to 10° north or south of the equator.

Examples of Areas

• Amazon Basin
• Congo Basin
• Southern Ivory Coast
• South Ghana
• Western coastal Nigeria
• Eastern coastal Malagasy Republic

Climatic Characteristics

1. There are no marked seasons of the year.
2. High temperature about 27°C throughout the year.
3. The annual temperature range is about 3°C.
4. The daily mean temperatures are about 26°C all the year round.
5. The daily temperature range is rarely more than 8°C because of the thick cloud cover.
6. Rainfall is heavy and is usually convection rain.
7. Rainfalls usually occur in the afternoons and they are accompanied by lightning and thunder.
8. The annual rainfall is about 2000 mm.
9. High humidity and intensive cloud cover throughout the year.

(Also known as Savannah Climate)

Name

1. Known as Savannah climate.
2. In the interior of the continents, it is referred to as Tropical Continental Climate.

Location

1. Found between 5° – 15° north and south of the equator.
2. In some areas, it may extend up to 25° north or south of the equator.

Examples of Areas

1. East and Central Africa
2. Brazilian Plateau
3. Venezuela
4. Parts of Africa
5. Northern Australia

Climatic Characteristics

1. High temperature, in hot summers (32°C) and cooler winters (20°C).
2. The annual temperature range is about 11°C.
3. The highest temperatures occur just before the rainy season begins.
4. Heavy rains, mainly convection, occur in the summer.
5. Total annual rainfall is around 765 mm, though this increases in the areas lying close to the equatorial climate region.
6. Humidity is high during the hot, wet season.

Location

• South East Asia
• Northern Australia
• Southern China
• Indian Subcontinent

Climatic Characteristics

1. Seasonal reversal of winds (monsoon winds); onshore during one season and offshore during another season.
2. Onshore wind brings heavy rain to coastal regions while offshore winds bring little or no rain, except where they cross a wide stretch of the sea.
3. Temperatures range from 32°C in the hot season to about 25°C in the cool season, giving an annual range of about 7°C.
4. Annual rainfall varies greatly, depending on relief and the angle at which onshore winds meet the highlands (aspect).
5. There are three marked seasons: cool, dry season; hot, dry season; and hot, wet season.

Human Activities

• Rice growing
• Livestock husbandry

Location

1. Found on the east coasts of regions lying between 10°N – 25°N and 10°S – 25°S.
2. These areas are influenced by onshore trade winds.

Main Areas

• East coast of Brazil
• East coast of Malagasy
• Lowlands of Central America
• The West Indies
• Coast of Queensland (Australia)
• Southern islands of the Philippines

Climatic Characteristics

1. Temperature characteristics are similar to those of the equatorial climate.
2. Hot season temperature is 29°C and cooler season temperature is 21°C.
3. Annual temperature range is about 8°C.
4. Total annual rainfall varies from 1000 mm to 2000 mm depending on the location.
5. Rainfall is both convection and topographic (brought by onshore trade winds).
6. Maximum rainfall occurs in the hot season.
7. High humidity throughout the year.

Human Activities

• Crop cultivation
• Lumbering
• Animal rearing

Location

• Occurs on the western margins of landmasses between 20° to 30° north and south of the equator.
• Experienced in all the major tropical deserts of the world.
• Hot deserts occupy about one third of the Earth's surface.

The principal tropical deserts occur on the continents as follows:

1. Africa: Sahara, Kalahari and Namib Deserts
2. Asia: the desert of Jordan, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Israel, and the desert of India.
3. North America: Mohave, Colorado and Mexican Deserts.
4. South America: Atacama Desert
5. Australia: Great Australian Desert

Warm climates border the hot tropical deserts. They occur between 30° and 40° north and south of the equator.

There are four broad types of warm climates:

1. Warm temperature western margin.
2. Warm temperature continental.
3. Warm temperature eastern margin.
4. Warm temperature desert.

Location

Occurs between 30°N – 45°N and 30°S – 40°S on the western sides of continents.

Examples of Areas

Coastal lands around the Mediterranean Sea:

1. The Maghreb
2. Spain
3. Italy
4. Greece
5. Egypt
6. Israel

Western sides of North and South America:

1. Central California
2. Central Chile

South Australia:

1. Perth
2. Adelaide

South Africa:

• Cape Province

General Characteristics

1. Temperatures range from 21°C in the summer to 10°C (or below) in the winter.
2. Mean annual temperature is about 15°C.
3. Annual total rainfall varies from 500 to 900 mm.

Location

Occurs in the interior of continents, between 20° and 35° north and south of the equator.

Examples of Areas

• Australia: Murray-Darling lowlands
• South Africa: The High Veldt
• South America: Central Paraguay and Central Argentina
• North America: Central lowlands (Oklahoma, Texas, and northern Mexico)
• Europe: Central European lowlands
• Asia: Plains of Manchuria

Climatic Characteristics

1. Temperatures range from 26°C in the summer to 10°C in the winter.
2. The annual rainfall varies from 380 to 700 mm, depending on the distance from the sea.
3. Rainfall is convectional type and falls mainly in spring and early summer.

Human Activities

• Cattle rearing
• Crop growing

Location

Occurs on the eastern sides of continents, between 23° and 35° north and south of the equator.

Examples of Areas

• Central China
• Southeastern USA
• Southern Brazil
• Eastern part of Argentina
• South Africa
• Southern Japan
• Southeastern Australia

Climatic Characteristics

1. Temperatures are about 26°C in summer and 13°C in the winter.
2. The total annual rainfall varies is about 1000 mm.
3. The rain is convectional and torrential type and it mostly falls in the summer.

Human Activities

• Crop cultivation
• Animal husbandry
• Lumbering in forested areas

Alternative Name

Also called Mid-latitude Desert Climate.

Examples of Areas

• Nevada and Utah states in North America
• Pentagonal in South America

These climates are experienced in regions between 35° north and 60° south of the equator. They are characterized by definite seasonal variations in temperature.

There are four types of cool climates:

1. Cool temperate continental (British type).
2. Cool temperate continental (Siberian type).
3. Cool temperate eastern margin (Laurentian type).
4. Temperate desert.

Cold climates are mainly experienced in regions between latitudes 60°N and 68°N.

There are three types of cold climates:

1. Cold temperate western margin.
2. Cold temperate eastern margin.
3. Cold temperate continental.

These types of climates are experienced in regions beyond the Arctic Circle (66½°N) and around Arctic Ocean. They are also known as polar deserts.

The main features of these climates are:

1. Low amounts of precipitation (rain)
2. Mild summers
3. Very cold winters.

Arctic climates comprises of

1. Tundra
2. Polar climates

Location

This region occurs in the northern coast of North America, southern coast Greenland and the Arctic coast of Europe and Asia.

Climatic Characteristics

1. Very long, cold winters with temperatures ranging between -29°C and – 40°C.
2. Short, cool summers with temperatures of about 10°C.
3. Annual precipitation is 250 mm; some of it falls as snow in winter and as rain in summer.

Location

It occurs in the interiors of Iceland, Greenland and Antarctica.

Climatic Characteristics

1. Temperatures are permanently below 0°C.
2. Precipitation is in the form of blizzards (snow storms).
3. The winters consist of continuous night, and summers of continuous day.

Location

Occurs in the main mountain areas of the world.

Examples of Areas

• East Africa Mountains
• Ethiopian Highlands
• Mountains and plateaus of Central Asia
• Alps of Europe
• Andes of South America
• Rocky Mountains of North America

Climatic Characteristics

1. Pressure and temperature generally decrease with increase in altitude.
2. Precipitation increases with altitude.
3. In areas around mountains within the tropic, temperatures may range from high at the foot of a mountain to very cold at the peak, e.g. Mount Kilimanjaro.

Characteristics of these Regions

1. They experience similar problems.
2. They have same geographical background.
3. Are unified by the same certain latitudes which help in locating them over.
4. Tend to have almost the same type of soil and vegetation cover.
5. They have the same occupation such as a mining, agriculture and animal husbandry.

1. Agriculture is strongly influenced by weather and climate.
2. The nature of agriculture and farming practices in any particular location depends on the type of climate experienced in that location.
3. Crops thrive well in areas with:
   • Fertile soil
   • Sufficient rainfall
   • Optimum temperature conditions
4. In such areas, both commercial and subsistence crops may be grown.

1. People prefer to establish settlements in areas with favorable climates that support a variety of agricultural activities.
2. Such areas are often well populated.

1. Most of the world's fishing grounds are in cooler regions.
2. Cooler water supports the growth of water plants called plankton, which fish feed on.

1. For the tourism industry to flourish, the climate in host countries must be favorable enough to attract tourists.
2. Tourists often visit tropical countries (e.g., Tanzania) from cooler climates during winter to enjoy:
   • The warmth of tropical countries
   • Swimming in warm waters
   • Sunbathing on tropical beaches

1. The establishment and growth of industries are strongly correlated to climatic conditions.
2. Most industries are established in areas where raw materials are adequately available.

1. Development of transport systems in some climatic regions can be challenging.
2. For example, in the tropical and equatorial regions:
   • These regions receive much rainfall throughout the year, resulting in poorly developed roads.
   • Routes passing through areas with clay soils become muddy and slippery when it rains.