World Climate Zones

World Vegetation Zones

 Climate Zones of the World

1. Hot / Torrid zone

2. Temperate Zone

3.Frigid zone
 1. Hot zone
Zone of Low Latitude Climate
• region of hot

• climate
little seasonal change
lies between:
• Tropic of
Cancer
• Tropic of Capricorn
• summers

• hot and
wet
• winter

• warm and dry

HOT OR TORRID ZONE
TROPICAL FORESTS
Hot or Torrid Zone lies between the Tropic of Cancer and
the Tropic of Capricorn. The equator runs through the center
of this zone.
The areas near the equator are called equatorial regions and
the areas near the tropics are called the tropical regions.
CLIMATE
The climate is not the same in all parts of the zone. It is
divided in four categories.
The equatorial region – hot and humid – parts of Africa, South
America & South East Asia.
The tropical areas – lowland – hot summer with heavy rainfall.
The Uplands – made up of plateaus and hills – cooler climate
The main deserts – hot and very little rainfall- Sahara desert of
Africa, Mexico desert of N.America, Great Australian desert &
Arabian desert of Asia.
NATURAL VEGETATION
– depends on the climate.
Equatorial rain forests
Tropical deciduous forests
Grasslands – tall & short grass with limited trees. Savanna
of Africa.
Thorn forests and desert vegetation.
TROPICAL WET AND DRY
 Rainy season is in the
summer
 Dry season in the winter Lush Forests
 Found close to the
equator
TROPICAL WET
 ALWAYS HOT! 80F year
round Rainforest
 Rain falls daily
 Found along the Equator
 SEMIARID
 Area receives very little Dry Shrub =
precipitation
plants that can
 Summers are very hot
 Winters are mild
survive with
 Areas found in the little water
interior of continents
near desert zones
(Cactus)
ANIMAL LIFE
the warm climate and the variety of vegetation makes life
suitable for many different kind of animal’s .e.g. animals,
birds, insects, sea creatures especially in the ever green forests.
Equatorial rainforests – toucan, orangutan, sloth bear, gorilla,
macaw, poison frog, butterfly fish, coral snake.
Tropical deciduous forest – elephant, rhinoceros, crocodiles,
leopards, kangaroo.
Grasslands – elephants, zebras, giraffes, hyenas antelope.
Deserts – camel, many animals are nocturnal means that they
come out at night when it is cooler e.g. rat family, moles,
scorpions, spiders, sand snakes, beetles, lizards. Falcons,
eagles, owls.
LIFE OF THE PEOPLE
– hot deserts of the hot zone have the least population as the
geographical factors are unfavorable.
Equatorial rainforests – Amazon ( S. America) forests- tribals
live by hunting.
Grasslands – nomadic (wandering) herdsmen, who own herds
of cattle.
Hot Deserts – nomadic tribes-
Bedouins- Sahara, Bushman – Kalahari -----Africa deserts
Aborigines – Australian deserts
Zuni - American deserts
EFFECTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT
About 20 percent of the world’s oxygen is produced by
the equatorial rainforests so the loss of these forests will
have an effect on the whole world.
Though the deserts are arid regions because of lack of
rainfall, many areas have underground water which has
been over used to grow crops.
2. Temperate zone
Zones of the Middle

Latitude Climates

moderate climate

marked seasonal changes

TEMPERATE ZONE -GRASSLANDS
Temperate zones lies between the Tropics and the Arctic
circle and the Antarctic circle.
This zone like the hot zone and the Frigid Zone is found in
the northern and the southern hemisphere.
CLIMATE
Temperate means neither too hot nor too cold.
This climate in this zone is neither too hot as the hot zone
nor too cold as the frigid zone. It has four distinct seasons
– summer, winter, autumn and spring.
Those regions that lie near the tropics are warmer and the
area gets colder as we move towards the circles.
NATURAL VEGETATION
 – depends on the climate. It can be broadly classified as:-
 Grasslands – The grasslands have different names in different countries.
 Prairies of North America
 Steppes of Eurasia
 Pampas of South America
 Veldt of South Africa
 Downs of Australia

 Desert vegetation – Gobi desert of Central Asia.

 Deciduous forests
 Coniferous forests
 Mediterranean forests, vegetation around the Mediterranean Sea.
 GRASSLANDS

 Long periods of heat and

humidity Temperate Grasslands =
 Located on east coasts
of continents steppe or prairie
 Experience hurricanes
 Mild to cool winters
DESERT
 Receive less than 10
inches of rain per year
Desert: Dry,
 Hot during the day, Cold Sand, or Shrubs
at night
 Depends on the LATITUDE and
ELEVATION • High level of
 Higher the elevation, the colder elevation
the climate
• Mountains
• Plateaus
MEDITERRANEAN
 Land around the
Mediterranean Sea Mediterranean
 Summers are dry and hot Shrub = tropical
 Winters are cool and grasslands
rainy
ANIMAL LIFE
Northern hemisphere – bison, grizzly bears, (North
America), giant pandas (Asia).
Southern hemisphere – llamas, alpacas, anacondas,( South
America), Kangaroos, koala bears, wallabies, (Australia)
Hibernation- squirrels, mice, hedgehogs
Migratory bird - swallow
LIFE OF THE PEOPLE
– Some area of this zone are thickly populated.
This zone has some of the world’s best cities – New York,
London, Moscow, Tokyo, Sydney.
Huge mechanized farm called the ‘granaries of the world’.
 EFFECTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT

Since this area has such good farmlands, many people

have over used them.
Over ploughing and over grazing exposes the soil.
3.Frigid zone
High Latitude Climates

extremely cold climate

Arctic Circle

Antarctic Circle
FRIGID ZONE
This zone is also found in the northern and the
southern hemisphere.
Frigid zones lie between the Arctic circle and the
North Pole in the northern hemisphere and between
the Antarctic circle and the South Pole in the southern
hemisphere.
In this zone the area near the poles always remains
frozen.
In both hemispheres, the permanently frozen parts of
the frigid zone are called ‘ polar ice caps’.
The axial tilt of the Earth has a major effect on climate of the polar
regions. Since the polar regions are the farthest from the equator, they
receive the least amount of sunlight and are therefore frigid.
POLAR ICE CAP CLIMATE
ALWAYS COVERED WITH SNOW AND ICE. BITTERLY COLD ALL YEAR
AROUND WITH LITTLE TO NO PRECIPITATION.
CLIMATE
Northern Hemisphere – The area around the North Pole have
water which is always frozen. Land remains frozen for most of
the year. The climate remains extremely cold, icy with strong
winds and blizzards (snow storms).
Southern Hemisphere – The continent of Antarctica entirely
lies in the frigid zone. It is always frozen and is the coldest
place on the earth as frozen land is colder than frozen water. It
is often called the ‘frozen continent’.
It experiences six months of day and six months of night
because of:-
 The tilt of the earth’s axis
 The orbit along which the earth move in its revolution around the sun
 The location of the region at and near the poles
NATURAL VEGETATION
Since these are regions that receive no rainfall and very little
sunlight and the ground remains frozen through out the year, it
is very difficult for plant life to survive here.
However, in summer the snow melts in stretches of Europe,
Asia and North America providing water. Vegetation found
here are mosses, lichen, small trees, and bushes.
Such areas of the Frigid Zone, where one can find some
vegetation are called the ‘tundra’.
Southern hemisphere – Since the entire region is almost always
frozen or barren, it does not support plant life. However some
‘tundra’ vegetation can be found.
 • Ground is Frozen
 Snow, Ice, Permanently Solid
Freezing Temperatures
• Too Cold for Snow
 Polar deserts
 Located in the Northern
Permafrost =
Hemisphere permanently frozen
 Cold with less than 3
inches of precipitation
 SUB ARCTIC

 Near the polar regions

 Summers are short and Coniferous Forest
cool Cone bearing
 Winters are long and very needle leaf trees
cold
ANIMAL LIFE
 Three words symbolic with this zone are:-
 Natural adaptations- Some animal like the arctic fox and ermine have a
thick coat to protect them, which becomes thicker during the winter and
also changes colour to white , to blend in with the icy environment and
thus hide them.
 Hibernation- a deep sleep like state where its heart beat slows down.
 Migrate – Birds fly off to warmer countries e.g. arctic tern.
 Northern hemisphere –These areas have both land and sea mammals, birds
and insects. Polar bears, reindeer, arctic hares, lemmings, seals, walrus and
whales.
 Southern hemisphere – The Antarctic region is home to sea birds and sea
mammals because the seas are rich in tiny plant and animal life.
 Elephant seal, whales, penguins (flightless birds), albatross, petrels.
 Animals of Polar Region

Antarctic Circle

The tundra includes the following animals: caribou, arctic fox,

musk ox, reindeer, polar bears, brown bears, lemmings, snow
owls, and puffins
LIFE OF THE PEOPLE
Arctic Zone – live only in the coastal regions
Belong to different tribes in each of the countries-
Inuit of Russia, Canada and Greenland.
Lapps of Scandinavia, Russia
Aleuts of Alaska
Chief occupation is hunting and fishing. Reindeer ( called
caribou in America) is an important source of meat, milk, skin
for clothes and shoes.
The Antarctic Zone – This region has scientific research
stations of India, China, Japan, Russia, USA, UK, Australia to
study the weather and natural resources.
EFFECTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT
 Huge amount of air pollution is effecting the earth,
making it warmer. This effect is felt in the Frigid
Zone.
The melting ice releases huge quantities of water into
our oceans, which makes the sea level rises. If this
continues, low lying areas and islands in many
countries will disappear.
Lots of poisonous gases that have been trapped for
several years in the ice are released, harming both
animals and man.
Animals like the polar bear are threatened by the
melting ice.
THANK YOU!!!!!