---
title: "Climates around the world"
description: "Obtain and combine information to describe climates in different regions of the world, distinguishing between weather and climate"
canonical: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/climates-around-the-world-mt_Gm12BzcCfX
source: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/climates-around-the-world-mt_Gm12BzcCfX.md
retrieved: 2026-09-02
---

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# Climates around the world

Obtain and combine information to describe climates in different regions of the world, distinguishing between weather and climate

Subject: Science · Area: Earth's Systems · Ages 8 to 9
Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/climates-around-the-world-mt_Gm12BzcCfX

## Ready when they can

- Define weather as day-to-day conditions and climate as the long-term pattern of weather in an area
- Describe at least three different climate types (tropical, temperate, polar, desert) with examples
- Explain that climate varies by region due to factors like distance from the equator

## Lesson: Climates around the world

You already know that weather changes from day to day. It might be sunny in the morning and rainy by lunchtime. Climate is different. Climate is the pattern of weather a place has over many years, not just one day.

*(drawing: These are typical yearly temperatures for four climate types. Tropical and desert places stay warm. Polar places stay cold.)*

**Example.** Four climate types show up again and again. The Arctic is polar: snow and ice cover the ground almost every day of the year. The Amazon rainforest is tropical: warm, with rain nearly every day. The Sahara is desert: warm and dry, with almost no rain. London is temperate: hot summers, then cold, snowy winters.

*(drawing: The further a place sits from the equator, the more slanted its sunlight arrives, and the less it warms the ground.)*

How close a place sits to the equator shapes its climate. Near the equator, sunlight arrives strong and direct all year, so those places stay warm. Far from the equator, near the North or South Pole, the same sunlight arrives weak and slanted, so those places stay cold.

**Recap.** Weather is today's conditions, climate is the years-long pattern, and how close a place is to the equator helps shape that pattern.

## Practice

24 questions on this page, each with its working shown.

## Needs first

- [Weather vs Climate](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/weather-vs-climate-mt_AB-TEMXSGJ)
- [Graphing seasonal weather data](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/graphing-seasonal-weather-data-mt_NYsz6QgaaE)
- [Evaporation and condensation](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/evaporation-and-condensation-mt_zCGwH1OQZa)

## Opens up

- [Designing for Weather Hazards](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/designing-for-weather-hazards-mt_JmMtZCifJB)
- [Earth's atmosphere](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/earths-atmosphere-mt_LKagN9GJPX)