Tropical Zones (between 0° and 23.5° ) Tropical Wet Tropical Wet and Dry Temperate Zones (between 23.5 ° and 66.5°) Arid Semiarid Mediterranean Humid Subtropical Marine West Coast Humid Continental Subarctic Polar Zone (between 66.5 ° and 90 °) Tundra Ice Cap Highland (mountain)

Along the equator Warm and rainy year-round 65+ inches of rain a year Tropical rain forest

Borders tropical wet Warm all year with a distinct rainy and dry season 20+ inches of rain in rainy season Tropical grassland with scattered trees

Centered along 30° latitude Dry, can be cold or hot Less than 10 inches of rain Desert-mostly barren, rocky, sandy areas with drought resistant plants

Borders arid/desert regions Semi-dry with wide temperature ranges Rains inches a year Grassland and few trees

West coasts in middle latitudes and around the Mediterranean Sea Dry warm summers and mild wet winters Scrub woodland and grassland

East coasts in middle latitudes Hot, humid summers and mild, humid winters Regular precipitation year-round Mixed forest

West coasts in upper–middle latitudes Cloudy, mild summers, and cool, rainy winters with a strong ocean influence inches of rain a year Temperate evergreen forest

East coasts and interiors of upper-middle latitude continents Four distinct seasons Equal amounts of precipitation each season Mixed forest

Higher latitudes of interior and east coasts of continents Extremes of temperatures Long, cold winters and short, warm summers Low precipitation Northern evergreen forest

High latitude coasts Cold all year Very long, cold winters and very, short cool summers Low precipitation Mosses, lichen, & low shrubs

Polar regions Freezing cold all year Snow and ice year-round Less than 10 inches of precipitation a year No vegetation

Mountain regions Temperature varies with elevation Temperature decreases 4.2° per 1000 ft. Forest to tundra to ice cap vegetation