Climate and Climate Zones
Climate is the long-term pattern of weather in a region, and the world is divided into zones based on temperature and rainfall.
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Climate is the long-term pattern of weather in a region, and the world is divided into zones based on temperature and rainfall.
- Tropical, dry, temperate, continental and polar
- Latitude and altitude affect climate
- Oceans moderate temperatures
🧠 Quick quiz
Three questions. Score 2 or more to complete the topic.
What is Climate and Climate Zones?
Within Earth & Environmental Science, which covers our planet, its resources and ecosystems, and how people can protect the environment, this topic explains Climate and Climate Zones. Earth and environment topics show how the planet’s systems shape landscapes, climate and life, with models that make these processes visible.
Check that you can explain Climate and Climate Zones in your own words and give one example from everyday life. If you can do that, you have understood the core idea.
Understanding Climate and Climate Zones helps you explain the environment around you and weigh up how people can protect it.
Climate and Climate Zones in detail
Climate is the average weather of a place over at least 30 years, including temperature and precipitation patterns. Factors affecting it include latitude, altitude, distance from the sea, ocean currents, prevailing winds and mountains.
The main climate zones are tropical (hot and wet), dry (arid and semi-arid), temperate (mild with seasons), continental (cold winters, warm summers) and polar (very cold). The Köppen system classifies them by temperature and rainfall. Climate graphs show monthly averages. Climate decides natural vegetation, farming and lifestyles, and zones are shifting as the planet warms.
How the interactive helps you understand Climate and Climate Zones
Watch the globe in the interactive. Use any sliders or buttons it offers to change the values and see how the globe responds.
Before you change anything, predict the result. Then change one value at a time and check whether your prediction was right. This is a quick way to build a correct mental model of Climate and Climate Zones.
Real-life uses and examples
- Link Climate and Climate Zones to a real environmental problem and a possible solution.
- Use a diagram of Climate and Climate Zones to describe the steps of a process in order.
- Discuss how human activity changes Climate and Climate Zones, using a named example.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Presenting one cause as the only cause of an environmental change.
- Describing a process without the timescale it works over.
- Learning the definition without testing it. Use the quiz and the interactive to check that you can apply the idea.
Frequently asked questions about Climate and Climate Zones
What is Climate and Climate Zones?
Climate is the long-term pattern of weather in a region, and the world is divided into zones based on temperature and rainfall.
What are the most important points about Climate and Climate Zones?
The main points are: Tropical, dry, temperate, continental and polar; Latitude and altitude affect climate; Oceans moderate temperatures.
Why is Climate and Climate Zones useful?
Understanding Climate and Climate Zones helps you explain the environment around you and weigh up how people can protect it.
How can I practise Climate and Climate Zones?
Open the interactive at the top of this page and change the controls one at a time. Predict the result before each change, then take the three-question quiz. A score of two or more marks the topic as complete on this device.
Which topics are related to Climate and Climate Zones?
Related topics in Earth & Environmental Science include Causes of Global Warming, The Water Cycle, Rivers, Lakes and Groundwater.