Climate

Climate is the average weather condition at a particular location over a long period. It is the long term summation of the atmospheric elements. These elements are solar radiation, temperature, humidity, precipitation, atmospheric pressure and wind. A wide area having almost a similar climate is called a climatic zone. Climate affects the natural vegetation. we cannot grow apples in hot region nor we can grow pineapple in cold regions. Similarly, climate controls the natural vegetation all over the world. Based on the climate and natural vegetation the world has been divided into a number of climatic zones.
Factors Affecting Climate
• Distance from the equator(Latitude)
As the distance from the equator to the north or south increases, the temperature gradually decreases because only the slanted sunrays fall in the far north and the far south . Similarly, the slanting rays pass through the thick layer of the atmosphere and spread to a wide area causing low temperature. This affect the climate of these areas.
• Distance from the sea
Generally, the places near to the seacoast have moderate temperature and the places farther away from the seacoast have extreme temperature i.e. too hot in summer and too cold with very little rainfall in winter. The prevailing winds of a place also determine the temperature. The wind that blows from the land to the sea is dry in nature and it causes an extreme climate in the continent. However, if the moisture wind blows from the sea to the continent, it brings much rainfall and it results a cool climate.
• Altitude and slope
The temperature generally falls 1 degree celsius at every 160-165 m above the sea level. It happens because of the gravitational pull of air and dust particles to the lower level. This dense layer of air and dust takes hold of much heat. As the height from the sea level increases, the layer to the atmosphere gets thinner and it absorbs less heat. We notice the differences in the climate of cool and the hot places of our earth because of the variation of the altitude.
Similarly, slope of the mountain plays a vital role to determine temperature. The windward part of it gets less rainfall.