UPSC Geography Climate / जलवायु Short Notes - World Climatic Types

World Climatic Types

The Hot, Wet Equatorial Climate  

• It is found between 5° and 10° north and south of the equator.
• Dominantly found in the lowlands of the Amazon, Congo, Malaysia and East Indies.
• The mean monthly temperature is always around 24 to 27°C.
• There is no winter.
• These regions are generally sparsely populated.
• Some plantation crops are also practised like natural rubber, cocoa, etc.

The Tropical Monsoon and Tropical Marine Climates

• It is found between 5° and 30° latitudes on either side of the equator.
• Best developed in the Indian subcontinent, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, parts of Vietnam, South China and northern Australia.
• Tropical Marine climate is found in Central America, West Indies, Philippines, parts of East Africa, Madagascar, Guyana coast and eastern Brazil.
• Average temperature of warm dry summer months range between 27°C and 32°C.
• Trees are normally deciduous.
• Forests yields valuable timber like teak and sal.
• Agro-crops are rice, cane sugar, jute, etc.

The Savanna or Sudan Climate

• Found between 5°-20° latitudes on either side of the equator.
• It is found in Llanos of Orinico valley, the campus of Brazil, Central America, Southern Zaire, etc.
• Mean temperature in between 24°C and 27°C.
• Rainfall in between 100 cm and 150 cm.
• Trees are deciduous and hard.
• Tribes like Masai and Hausa are found in this region.

The Hot Desert and Mid-latitude Desert Climates                       

• It is located on western coasts of the continents between 15° and 30° N and S.
• Saharan desert, Great Australian desert, Arabian desert, Iranian desert, Thar, Namib, Atacama are some of the greatest deserts of the world.
• The hot deserts lie astride the Horse Latitude or Subtropical High Pressure Belts.
• Bushmen of Kalahari and Bindibu or Aborigines of Australia are nomadic hunters and food gatherers.
• Bedoium of Arabia, Tuaregs of Sahara, Gobi Mongols are some of the examples of Tribal groups.

Mediterranean climate                

• Climate is characterized by hot, dry summer and cool, wet winter.
• Vegetation includes   cork   oak, eucalyptus, Jarrah and Karri.           
• Evergreen coniferous trees are pines, firs, cedars.
• Viticulture is widely followed in the Mediterranean lands.

Temperate Continental (Steppe) Climate

• Bordering the deserts, away from the Mediterranean regions and in the interiors of the continents are the temperate grasslands.
• In N. America, they are known as Prairies.
• In Argentina and Urugway Pampas.
• In South Africa - Veld
• In Hungary - Pustaz.
• Summers are very warm and winters are very cold.
• Average rainfall range between 10 to 30 inches.

The China type Climate

• This type of climate is found on the eastern margins of continents in warm temperate latitudes just outside the tropics.
• Rainfall is more than moderate, anything from 25 inches to 60 inches.
• Vegetation includes pines, cypresses, bamboo, palms.

The Cool Temperate Eastern Margin (Laurentian type)

• The cool temperate Eastern Margin Climate feature both the maritime and continental climates.
• It is found in Canada, north east USA, Siberia, North China, Mancharia, Korea and northern Japan.
• Important crops includes soyabeans, groundnuts, sesame, rapeseeds, tung oil and mulberry.

The Arctic or Polar Climate

• Polar type climate and vegetation is found mainly north of the Arctic circle in the Northern Hemisphere.
• Winters are long and very severe, summers are cool and brief. Main vegetation includes mosses, lichens and sedges.
• In Green land, northern Canada and Alaska there is Eskimos.
• In the Eurasian tundra there are other nomadic tribes such as the Lapps of northern Finland and Scandinavia, the Samoyeds of Siberia, Yakuts, Koryaks and Chukchi of north-eastern Asia.