Major Climatic Zones of the World

In terms of geographical understanding, climate is defined as the weather that is prevalent for the longest time in an area. The average time condition that is required for the weather to become a climate, is about thirty years or more. A climatic zone is a region that is governed by the latitudes and longitudes and it comprises an area that has a constant climate. A German scientist named Wladimir Koppen, divided the world into climatic zones based upon parameters like, the average climatic conditions, the amount of precipitation received and at what time does this precipitation occur. Out of the five zones he had presented, let us see the four major ones.

What is meant by climate?

In terms of geographical understanding, climate is defined as the weather that is prevalent for the longest time in an area. It is important to understand that weather varies from climate. Weather is the temperature that changes from day to day, even hour to hour.When we say that the weather is humid, we mean that at that point of time, humidity is high. This occurrence generally happens in tropical climates.

The average time condition that is required for the weather to become a climate, is about thirty years or more.

Climatic Zones in the World

A climatic zone is a region that is governed by the latitudes and longitudes and it comprises an area that has a constant climate. 

The hottest climate is around the equator. This is because the sunlight is directly falling over the area. On the contrary, the north and south poles are the coldest because the sunlight is the least over there.

A German scientist named Wladimir Koppen, divided the world into climatic zones based upon parameters like, the average climatic conditions, the amount of precipitation received and at what time does this precipitation occur. The four major climatic zones are discussed below:

1. Tropical or Torrid: The general climatic condition of this area is seen to be as hot and humid. The average temperature is around 180 C or 640 F. The amount of annual precipitation in this area is usually high with little variations around every year. Since the torrid zone is hot and humid, the seasons that fall into these areas are only two, which are wet as in rainy season and dry season. The sunlight experienced in torrid zones is intense and there is very little variation in temperature.
2. Dry or desert climate: This is often called the desert climate due to the presence of sand instead of arable soil. The name dry climate is coined because more than the levels of precipitation, evaporation of water happens at a faster level. The dry climate is generally divided into two sections, which are cold and hot deserts. These areas mostly receive precipitation of about 1 to 8 inches and some areas receive precipitation in terms of millimeters.
3. Temperate climate: The temperate region falls between the polar regions that are north and south pole and between the tropical or torrid zones. As seen earlier the torrid zones have temperatures that do not change widely throughout the year. Opposed to this, temperate regions see a huge difference in weather conditions and the changes in seasons are more visible. The very little changes that occur in this zone are precipitation changes.
4. Polar climate: The major characteristic of polar climates is their lack of summers. The winters here are severe and the average temperature of every month is below 100 C or 500 F. Most of these regions are near the poles and the absence of direct sunlight makes the temperatures in these areas very frigid.

Conclusion

In terms of geographical understanding, climate is defined as the weather that is prevalent for the longest time in an area. A climatic zone is a region that is governed by the latitudes and longitudes and it comprises an area that has a constant climate. The four zones that were discussed were torrid zone, dry zone, temperate zone and polar zone