The Mediterranean is one of the rarer climate types around the world. Explain some of its characteristics:

Answer 1

The only climate type named after a single physical feature, originally named for the area surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. A Mediterranean climate usually receives from 15 - 40 inches (38 - 102 centimeters) of precipitation annually. The precipitation is predominantly during the winter months, which results in a very dry summer season. This pattern results from seasonal shifts in atmospheric belts. In winter, the belt of westerly winds shifts southward bringing precipitation. In summer, a belt of high atmospheric pressure over the Sahara shifts northward, bringing extremely dry and warm or hot conditions. Winters are mild, and frosts are rare. Drought-resistant trees originally covered Mediterranean lands, but little of that forest remains, having been depleted by centuries of human use—especially the clearing of land for farming, and the pressure of goats and other grazing livestock.