North America lies in the western hemisphere of the planet, and from north to south, the mainland occupies more than 7 thousand kilometers. A plant and animal world is diverse on the continent due to the fact that it lies in almost all climatic zones.
Climate of North America
In the open spaces of the Arctic, Canadian archipelago and Greenland, the Arctic climate reigns. There are Arctic deserts with severe frosts and a minimum rainfall. In these latitudes, the air temperature is rarely higher than zero degrees. South in the north of Canada and in Alaska, the climate is slightly softer, since the Arctic belt is replaced by subarctic. The maximum summer temperature is +16 degrees Celsius, and in winter there are temperatures –15–35 degrees.
Temperate climate
Most of the mainland lies in a temperate climate. The weather conditions of the Atlantic and Pacific coasts differ, as well as the climate on the continent. Therefore, it is customary to divide the moderate climate into eastern, central and western. There are several natural zones on this vast territory: taiga, steppes, mixed and broadleaved forests.
Subtropical climate
The subtropical climate encircles the south of the United States and the north of Mexico, and occupies a large area. Nature here is diverse: evergreen and mixed forests, foreststeppes and steppes, variables wet forests and deserts. The climate is also affected by air masses dry continental and wet monsoon. Central America is covered with deserts, savannahs and variable moist forests, and this part of the continent lies in a tropical climatic zone.
The extreme south of North America lies in the subequatorial belt. Here is a hot summer and winter, the temperature of +20 degrees lasts almost all year round, and also a plentiful amount of precipitation falls up to 3000 mm per year.
Interesting
The equatorial climate is absent in North America. This is the only climatic belt that is not on this continent.
