Maharashtra Board Class 11 Geography Notes Chapter 4 Climatic Regions

By going through these Maharashtra State Board Class 11 Geography Notes Chapter 4 Climatic Regions students can recall all the concepts quickly.

Maharashtra State Board Class 11 Geography Notes Chapter 4 Climatic Regions

Five Spheres of the Earth:

1. Lithosphere
2. Hydrosphere
3. Biosphere
4. Magnetosphere

→ The climate of any region is decided by detailed study and observation for a longer period of time such as 30 years.

→ The climate of a place is responsible for the variety in so many factors including our food, our occupations, our houses, our clothes and many activities.

→ Natural Regions – It is a basic geographic unit. Usually it is a region which is distinguished by its common natural features of geography, geology and climate.

Classification of Climate and Identifying Climate Regions :

Climate Regions:

Low latitude :

• Equatorial Rainforests
• Tropical Monsoon Climate
• Tropical Savannah Type of Climate
• Tropical Deserts or Arid Type of Climate

Mid Latitude:

• Mediterranean Climate
• China Type Climate or Humid Sub Tropical Climate
• Marine West European Type Climate

High Latitude:

• Taiga or Sub-Arctic
• Tundra
• Ice Sheet
• Highland or Mountain Type

Low-latitude regions:

Tropical Monsoon Climate:

• SW India and SE Asia, SW Africa, NE and SE Brazil, northern parts of Australia, parts of tlapan]
• Summer temperature around 27°C to 32°C, winter temperature 15°C to 24°C j
• Rainfall, 250 to 2500 mm, orographic rainfall (India)
• High annual range of temperature
• Less biodiversity as compared to tropical forests
• Iron rich soils in high rainfall zones
• Large hooved leaf eaters and carnivores
• Paddy, rice agriculture
• 10° to 30° N and S

Tropical Savannah Climate:

• Herding and animal husbandry
• Tall and thick grass (Elephant grass), scattered drought resistant trees, broad towards the apex, scrub
• Between 10° to 20° N and S latitudes
• Summer temperatures around 35°C, winter temperatures around 24°C
• Average rainfall of 250-1000 mm
• Grazing more common, large herbivores, carnivores and scavengers
• Parts of peninsular India, rain-shadow zone in Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka, parts of Mizoram, Congo, south-central Africa, llanos of Venezuela, Campos of Brazil

Tropical Deserts or Arid type Climate:

• Xerophytic vegetation
• Between 20° to 30° latitude in both hemispheres
• Small nocturnal, burrowing animals
• Badaun, (Sahara), Bushmen (Kalahari), Aborigines (Australia)
• Agriculture practised near oases
• Summer temperature around 30°C to 45°C, winter temperature around 20°C to 25°C highest diurnal range, highest day-time temperatures
• Precipitation less than 200mm. Low or no humidity
• Western coasts of all continents, parts of Gujarat, Rajasthan and south west Haryana, Iran, interior parts of Asia, coastal Chile, Peru, south-west Africa, interior Mexico, Baja California, North Africa, Namibia and parts of US.
• Saline soil

Mediterranean Climate:

Mid-latitude regions :

• Olives, grapes, vegetables, citrus fruits, animal husbandry
• Western Coastal region between 30° to 40° N and S
• Tourism, cinema industries
• 500 to 1000 mm winter rainfall, foggy coasts
• Coniferous vegetation in high altitudes, grass in areas of low rainfall
• Scrubs, leaves are evergreen, hard, thick leathery, usually small
• Central California, borders of Mediterranean Sea, Cape Town, Southern and SW Australia, Central part of Chile
• Mild, moist winters, temperature around 10°C to 14°C warm, dry summers, temperature around 21°C to 27°C quite sunny, high summer

China type Climate or Humid Sub – tropical Climate:

• East coast location between 20° and 40° N and S
• Mixed forests, grasslands, pines in higher altitudes.
• Rice, wheat, corn, cotton, tobacco, sugarcane, citrus fruits.
• Humid in summer, cyclonic storms in winter
• Precipitation between 600 to 2500 mm
• High humidity, hot summers, frost in winter
• Warmest months above 10°C, coldest between 0°C and 18°C
• SE USA, SE South America, coastal SE South Africa, Eastern Australia, Eastern Asia from through South  China to Southern Japan, Easter island in Chile

High-latitude region:

Tundra Climate:

Ice Sheet:

Highland or Mountain type:

• Grazing, pastures, terrace cultivation
• Laterite soils
• Tourism
• Widely over Earth
• Grazing, pastures, terrace cultivation
• Coniferous in higher reaches, tropical deciduous to evergreen, in lower reaches
• Orographic rainfall, snowfall in higher reaches
• The climate depends on altitude, location on the leeward or windward side
• Mountains in Asia, central Europe, western North, and South America