The countries around the world do not fit into neat and precise categories of climate and weather. Nations, especially those as vast as Russia and the former Soviet Union and the United states, may sprawl over several different climatic zones making life for one inhabitant very different from that of a fellow countryman living thousands of miles away. You only have to liik at the contrast between life in california and life in New York to see this.

However it is useful and valid to split regions of the world up and describe them according to the types of weather they experience and thus arrive at a number of describable weather patterns, or climates. will begin my survery of these climates or zones with a look at Temperate Climates which, of course, includes the United Kingdom.

The hallmark of temperate zones is a relatively small fluctuation in temperature between seasons with rain that generally falls all year round. Temperate areas of the world other than Britain include much of rest of Europe, parts of the north-west and north-east of the United States, New Zealand, eastern Asia and southern Chile. However, some of these areas experience quite different types of weather depending on their position relative to the sea and winds. For example, although the Northeast of North America is at the same latitude as western and northern Europe it lacks the warming influence of the North Atlantic Drift. As a consequence, much of the north-eastern seaboard of the United States is ice-bound during winter months.

For different reasons, parts of temperate eastern Asia also experience quite cold winters. This is a result of the winds blowing out from the interior of Eurasia during the winter when the land mass is extremely cold.

Again, temperate zones which are further inland will tend to get a considerable amount of their rainfall during the summer from convection, that is when the sun heats the ground sufficiently to cause moist air to rise, forming clouds and then rain. Temperate zones, such as Europe, get more of their rain in the winter from the effect of low-pressure zones coming in from the Atlantic driven by the prevailing westerlies. Hilly areas can get extra rainfall from what is known as the orographic effect which occurs where air is forced to rise over high ground, causing clouds followed by rain. Scotland and Wales, Norway and the South Island of New Zealand are areas subject to this type of rainfall. This can occur at any time of year though it is more common in later summer when the warmer seas provide greater moisture in the air.

Although temperate zones account for only about seven per cent of the world's land surface, they are by far the most popular areas in which to live and area home to around four-tenths of the Earth's population. This is largely due to the mildness of the climate, which prevents conditions from becoming too harsh, a plentiful supply of rain and generally very fertile soils.

With the exception of parts of New Zealand where the land is inaccessible, most of the temperate zones' natural and very rich forest vegetation has been cleared to make way for more intensive farming methods, of the type we are familiar with in the British Isles. Deciduous trees, such as the oak and the beech, are the most common types of tree found in the temperate zones. These have formed a protective mechanism against the effects of cold winters by shedding their leaves. Many people regret that the more featureless but hardier coniferous trees have become more widespread in this country- though measures are now being taken to plant an increasing number of native deciduous trees.

Other features in the Climate Zones series:

- Polar Zone
- Desert Zone
- Tropical Zone
- Monsoon Zone
- Continental Zone
- Mediterranean Zone