Eurasia is the largest continent onthe planet. The climate of the continent is very diverse. What is the reason for this? In what climatic zones is the mainland of Eurasia? Let's try to answer all these questions in our article.
Three quarters of the world's population live exactly inEurasia. This is not surprising, because in size the continent is the largest on Earth. It occupies 35% of the earth’s land, and its area is about 54 million square meters. km
The main part of Eurasia belongs to the Northernhemisphere, with some islands that belong to the mainland, located in the southern half of the planet. In ancient times, the two parts of the continent - Europe and Asia - were perceived separately. They were even considered different continents. Now the division between the European and Asian parts of the continent is carried out only conditionally. The boundaries for this are the mountains (the Ural mountain range), the rivers (Emba, Kuma, Manych), the seas (Caspian, Black, Mediterranean, Aegean), and the straits (Gibraltar, Bosphorus, Dardanelles).
Continent washed Atlantic, Silent,Indian, Arctic Oceans. The extreme points of the mainland are considered to be the Russian cape Chelyuskin in the north, the Malaysian cape Piay in the south. Portuguese Cape Roca is the extreme point in the west, and in the east - the Russian cape Dezhnev.
On what climatic zones is locatedEurasia, first of all influenced: considerable length and geographical location. From north to south, the continent stretched for 8 thousand km, covering a significant territory.
So, in what climatic zones is locatedEurasia? Due to the location between the Arctic Circle and the equator, all the belts of the Northern Hemisphere are present on the mainland. The length of the continent from west to east is the main cause of the tremendous diversity of climatic zones.
An important climate-forming factor isrelief. On the continent are some of the most extensive world plains. In these areas, winters are cold and summers are dry and hot. Numerous mountain systems of the continent create barriers for air masses, not letting warm southerly winds to the north, and cold and dry winds - to the south.
Significant role in the formation of the Eurasianclimate play ocean basins and irregular coastline. The margins of the continent are dominated by the maritime type of climate, and in the interior regions, the continental one. Warm and cold currents in the oceans affect annual changes in the temperature of coastal areas, as well as rainfall.
We found out the main reasons for the formation of climate on the mainland. Now let's talk in more detail in which climatic zones Eurasia is located.
Arctic belt. Located in the far north of the mainland, includingIslands that are located in the Arctic Ocean. Dry frosty air, piercing winds and high atmospheric pressure are typical features of the arctic climate zone. The air temperature here throughout the year rarely rises above zero, precipitation is about 250 mm.
Subarctic belt. Differs in milder climaticconditions, it acts as a kind of buffer zone between the arctic and temperate zones. It occupies a strip of the northern part of the continent, including Iceland and part of Scandinavia. In summer, it is influenced by moderate winds and the temperature does not exceed +20. In winter, cold Arctic winds blow here, the temperature can drop to -50 degrees.
Temperate zone. It runs all over the continent below.subarctic belt. It occupies most of Europe and Central Asia. Within it, various types of climate have formed, which are largely dependent on proximity to the oceans. The seasons clearly replace each other, the temperature drops during the year are very significant.
Subtropical belt. It covers China and the Japanese islands, Iran, Armenia, Italy, Greece, etc. The winters are mild, cool and wet, and the summer is hot and dry.
Tropical belt. It includes the southwestern territory of Asia and is absent in Europe. It is characterized by hot summers and very warm winters.
Subequatorial belt. It covers the Indochina Peninsula, the Philippines and the northern part of Sri Lanka. Wet air masses in the summer are replaced by dry in the winter.
Equatorial belt. It occupies the southern part of Sri Lanka, the Malay Islands. High temperature and heavy precipitation prevail here, and winds bring moist sea air.
Most of the continent of Eurasia is located inNorthern Hemisphere. This had a significant impact on the climatic zones in which Eurasia is located. So, on the territory of the continent there are arctic, subarctic, temperate, subtropical, tropical, subequatorial and equatorial belts.
