Thermal belts of the Earth. Thermal belts of Russia

The heating of the soil and the illumination of any territory are directly dependent on the heat belt in which it is located. This, in turn, affects the geographical breadth.

What are thermal belts?

Solar heat differs unequally in high and low latitudes. This is due to the fact that the angles of the inclination of the rays of our light to the surface of the Earth are different. Hence the notion of a climate. The north of the territory, the less heat it receives per unit of surface. This is due to a lower rise of the sun at noon.

The very word "climate" in Greek means "slope". It depends on the geographic location of a particular locality and is determined by atmospheric pressure, humidity and average air temperature throughout the year.
There are three thermal belts on the Earth. It is mild, hot and cold. Each of them has its own distinctive features.

Cold climatic zone

It is located in the polar circle, located both in the Northern and Southern hemisphere of the Earth. The poles of our planet are as far from the equator as possible, and therefore the sun sends only oblique rays to them. That is why in these areas the earth heats up very poorly.

Winters in these territories are long and severe, and summers are short and cool. There are several months of the year, when the sun does not reach the polar circle at all. Such a period is a polar night. The temperature at this time here can drop to eighty-nine degrees.

Temperate zone

These thermal zones are also located in the two hemispheres. On their territories oblique sun rays weakly warm the earth in winter. In the summer, the sun illuminates them more intensively. There are moderate thermal belts between the polar circle and two parallels. In the north it is the Tropics of Cancer, and in the south - the Tropics of Capricorn.

The sun in these belts is never at its zenith. Therefore, it does not very warm the soil and air. Moderate heat zones are characterized by a clear segregation of seasons. Here there are winter, summer, autumn and spring. The temperature character of these seasons is not the same. The closer the area to the polar circle, the winter on its territory is colder. Conversely, the summer is warmer and more prolonged as the area approaches the tropics.

Hot Belt

Above this zone the sun always rises high and sends direct rays to it. That is why there is a constant high temperature here. Dominance of this belt is observed in the tropics. The winter period in this territory is a rainy season, and the summer is characterized by drought.

The hot thermal belt of the Earth is located between the Southern and Northern tropics along the equator. Twice a year, at noon on June 22 and December 22, the sun's rays fall in this zone almost vertically, that is, at an angle of ninety degrees. The air is heated very strongly from the soil surface. That is why all year round on this territory is the heat. Only within this belt grow palm trees.

Thus, the world's thermal belts are represented by five zones. They include two cold, two moderate and one hot. Sometimes in the cold thermal belts an area of eternal frost is singled out. It is located directly near the poles, and the average annual temperature here does not rise above the zero mark.

The thermal belts of Russia are cold and temperate. For the north of the country is characterized by a harsh climate. This changes the polar winter and polar summer. More southern territories have a mild climate and pronounced seasonality.

Nature of cold heat belt

Polar zones of our planet are constantly covered with snow and ice. These are the coldest territories of the Earth. The Arctic, which belongs to the polar zone of the Northern Hemisphere, runs through Alaska. It includes the island of Greenland. It is located in the polar zone north of Canada and Russia.

Antarctica, located in the southern hemisphere, is the southern polar zone. There is the continent of Antarctica.

A cold heat belt, which is characterized by a lack of heat, does not have forests. The soil in these areas is swamped. Places you can meet areas of permafrost. The harshest climate is observed at the poles. There are sea or continental ice. Vegetation, as a rule, is absent or is represented by lichens and moss.

Mostly migratory birds live on the territory of the cold belt. Especially a lot of them on the islands of the Arctic Ocean. There are animals in this zone. They migrate from more southern areas for the summer season. The animal world is represented by owls and polar foxes, polar mice and reindeer, polar bears, walruses, seals and penguins.

Nature of the temperate heat belt

The territories of these climatic zones receive more light and heat. It's not such a harsh winter. Summer in a temperate heat belt is not very hot. The sun is never above these territories at the zenith. Therefore, the climate of the temperate zones is mild, and changes from warm to cold occur gradually. In these zones there are four seasons: summer, spring, winter and autumn.

Moderate heat belt passes through the territory of Great Britain, Europe. It has North Asia and North America. In the southern hemisphere, a temperate belt is located in the water area of three oceans. Thus, 98% of its area is occupied by water. A moderate belt in the Southern Hemisphere passes through Australia and New Zealand. It covers the south of South Africa and South America.

The nature of this heat belt is very diverse. These are mixed forests, taiga, semi-deserts and deserts, as well as steppes.

The fauna is sufficiently homogeneous. Basically, it is represented by forest animals that lead a sedentary lifestyle. To a lesser extent, representatives of the fauna of the open area - steppes and deserts.

The nature of a hot heat belt

In this zone, most of Africa is located. In the hot belt lies the south of India and Asia. This zone includes Central America, New Guinea, northern Australia and the north of South America.

There is no seasonality near the equator. Throughout the year in these areas is very warm and humid.

For a hot heat belt is characterized by savannas, evergreen rainforests and woodlands. In some areas there are semi-deserts and deserts.
The fauna differs in its extraordinary variety. These are predatory and fleeing birds, hippos and antelopes, elephants and zebras, buffaloes, etc.