🗺️ MAJOR CLIMATIC REGIONS OF THE WORLD World Geography · Ch 19

SSC / Railway / UPSC / BPSC — World Geography Mind Map Series

🌡️ Climate
  • The average of long-term weather conditions (30 years)
  • Short-term atmospheric condition = Weather
📚 Köppen Climate Classification System
  • Early Köppen classification: 1884; major revisions in 1918 and 1936.
  • Modified in 1936 AD — based on temperature, rainfall and season
🔤 Köppen Climate Groups
CodeGroupKey Feature
ATropical ClimateMean temperature of every month ≥18°C
BDry ClimateEvaporation exceeds precipitation
CTemperate Humid ClimateMid-latitude climate
DCold Humid ClimateTraditionally coldest-month mean <−3°C, with at least one month >10°C; some modern versions use 0°C.
EPolar ClimateWarmest-month mean <10°C
HHighland / Mountainous ClimateSupplementary highland category in some modified schemes; not one of the five original A–E groups
⚠ Exam Trap
Group D uses a coldest-month boundary: traditionally −3°C, but some Köppen-Geiger versions use 0°C. State which convention is used.
🌴 A – Tropical Climate (Between Tropic of Cancer & Capricorn)

Tropical Rainforest (Af)

  • Heavy rainfall all year
  • Dense evergreen rainforest: mahogany, ebony and rubber-producing trees

Tropical Monsoon (Am)

  • Monsoon rain
  • Wet and dry seasons

Tropical Wet & Dry / Savanna (Aw)

  • Savanna – large grasslands
  • Tall grass
⚡ Quick Recall
Af = rain all year (rainforest) · Am = monsoon (wet+dry) · Aw = savanna grassland — three sub-types under the same "hot" umbrella.
🏜️ B – Dry Climate (15° to 60° N and S Latitudes)

Steppe / Semi-Arid (BS)

  • Semi-arid
  • Short grass regions

Desert / Arid (BW)

  • Desert (arid) – Thar, Sahara, Atacama
  • Cacti vegetation
  • Evaporation > Precipitation
📌 Desert regions by continent Africa – Sahara, Kalahari • South America – Atacama • Asia – Thar
⚡ Quick Recall
Steppe (BS) has short grass and moderate aridity; Desert (BW) is the more extreme, fully arid type.
🌤️ C – Warm Temperate (Mid-latitude) Climate

Subtropical / China Type Climate (Cfa)

  • Mild winter, hot summer
  • Influenced by Subtropical High Pressure
  • Found in: USA, South-east China, South Japan, Australia (East coast)

Mediterranean Climate (Cs)

  • Cultivation of juicy fruits – lemon, orange, olive, fig, etc.
  • Classic Cs regions: Mediterranean Basin, California, central Chile, Cape South Africa and southern/southwestern Australia.

Marine West Coast Climate (Cfb)

  • A distinct, separate climate type — mild, rainy, maritime-influenced (e.g. Western Europe, parts of coastal North America)
⚠ Exam Trap
Marine West Coast Climate (Cfb) is its own independent climate type — don't treat it as a sub-type of Mediterranean (Cs); the two are separate C-group classifications.
❄️ D – Cold Snow Forest / Humid Continental Climate

Continental/Snow Climate — No Dry Season (Df)

  • Humid Continental climate
  • No pronounced dry season — precipitation year-round
  • Found across Northern Europe, Russia, Canada

Cold Climate with Dry Winter (Dw)

  • Monsoon-influenced dry winters
  • Found across North-east Asia (Siberia, Manchuria, Korea)
⚡ Quick Recall
Df = no dry season; Dw = dry winter. ‘f’ does not mean only wet winter.
🧊 E – Polar Climate

Tundra (ET)

  • Minimum vegetation
  • Found in: Norway, Finland, Russia, Siberia

Ice Cap (EF)

  • Extremely cold climate
  • Found in: Greenland, Antarctica
⛰️ H – Highland Climate
  • Cold climate driven by altitude, not latitude
  • Found in: Alps, Himalayas, Tibetan Plateau, Rockies, Andes Mountains
⚠ Exam Trap
Rockies (North America) and Andes (South America) are two different mountain ranges — both fall under Highland Climate, but don't treat them as the same range.
📝 Quick Reference — Key Facts
FactDetails
Climate definitionAverage of 30 years of weather conditions
Köppen classification year1884 early scheme; major revisions 1918 and 1936
Extreme Cold — Permanently Inhabited SettlementsOymyakon is widely cited among the coldest inhabited settlements; Verkhoyansk also has historic extreme-cold records.
Driest Non-Polar DesertAtacama Desert (Chile)
El-Niño originCoast of Peru – Pacific Ocean
Tropical Rainforest vegetationMahogany, ebony and rubber-producing trees
Mediterranean fruitsLemon, orange, olive, fig, etc.
Tundra climate (ET)Minimum vegetation – Norway, Finland, Russia, Siberia
Ice Cap climate (EF)Greenland and Antarctica
Polar cold windPurga: severe Russian/Siberian snowstorm or blizzard term
⚡ Quick Recall
Oymyakon/Verkhoyansk: extreme cold in inhabited Siberia; Atacama: driest non-polar desert. Avoid unqualified worldwide superlatives.
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