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Social Studies · World Geography

Climate Zones and Biomes

How climate shapes life around the world — from what plants grow to what people eat, wear, and build.
🌍Three Climate Zones by Latitude
❄ NORTH POLE ❄ SOUTH POLE POLAR — cold all year TEMPERATE — 4 seasons TROPICAL — hot all year (near the equator) EQUATOR 0° latitude
Tropical: nearest the equator Temperate: middle latitudes Polar: nearest the poles
🌿Biomes — Set by Temperature & Rainfall
🌴RAINFOREST
ClimateWarm & very wet
Big FactMost biodiverse place on Earth
🦜 most kinds of life
🌵DESERT
ClimateVery little rain
Big FactUnder 10 inches of rain a year
🌧️ < 10 in / year
🧊TUNDRA
FROZEN GROUND
ClimateCold, treeless, Arctic
Big FactGround stays frozen all year
🥶 permafrost below
🌦️Climate vs. Weather
⛅WEATHER = right now
TODAY "It's rainy today!"
Short-term: the rain or sunshine happening today. It can change hour to hour.
📅CLIMATE = the pattern
YEARS 🌦️ "It's usually rainy here."
Long-term: the average weather over many years. Climate is what sets the biome.
thick warm fur
🐾 Adaptations help living things survive
🐻‍❄️A polar bear's thick fur keeps it warm in the freezing polar/tundra biome.
🌵A cactus stores water in its stem to survive the dry desert.
🌍Climate even shapes us — the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the homes we build.
🔑Key Terms
📊Climate The long-term pattern of weather in a place.
🌤️Weather Short-term conditions — today's rain or sunshine.
🌐Biome A large region with its own climate, plants, and animals.
🧭Latitude Distance from the equator — it sets the climate zone.
🌡️Permafrost Ground in the tundra that stays frozen all year.
🦎Adaptation A trait that helps an organism survive its environment.
⭐ Remember: latitude sets the climate zone, climate (temperature + rainfall) sets the biome, and the biome shapes every living thing — including how people eat, dress, and build!
✏️ Social Studies Anchor Chart · Climate Zones and Biomes
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