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Name: ___________________________ Date: ____________ Block: _________
World Geography
Chapter 3
Section 1
A. Introduction
a. Weather ____________________________________
____________________________________________
b. Climate ____________________________________
____________________________________________
c. Both weather and climate are
influenced by… 
i. direct sunlight. 
ii. ______________ 
iii. _____________ 
iv. the features of the earth’s surface.
B. The Greenhouse Effect
a. _____________________________________________
______________________________; however, enough
remains to warm the earth’s land and water. 
b. The earth’s atmosphere keeps heat from escaping back
into space too quickly, creating a greenhouse effect,
___________________________________________ 
c. Without this greenhouse effect, the earth would be too
cold for most living things.
C. Earth’s Tilt and Rotation
a. The earth has an axis–__________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________ 
b. Because the Earth’s axis is tilted at a _________, not all
places on earth receive the same amount of direct
sunlight. 
c. The earth’s tilt affects the temperature– ____________
_____________________________________________
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Name: ___________________________ Date: ____________ Block: _________
d. The earth rotates, or spins, ________________, making
one complete rotation every 24 hours, and causing day
and night.
D. Earth’s Revolution
a. _____________________________________________
___________________________________________ 
b. The earth’s revolution, or_______________, takes 1
year, or 365¼ days, which results in the changing of
___________________________________________. 
i. March 21 and September 23 are called
____________because the sun is directly over the
equator and the days and nights are equal in length,
marking the beginning of _________________.
ii. June 21 and December 22 are called ___________
because the sun is directly over the Tropic of
Cancer or the Tropic of Capricorn, marking the
beginning of ____________________. 
c. _____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
___________________________________________ 
d. For six months one Pole is slanted toward the sun,
receiving continuous sunlight, while the other Pole is
slanted away from the sun, receiving no sunlight.
Section 2
E. Introduction
a. The climate of a location depends in part on latitude,
elevation, wind and ocean currents, and landforms.
F. Latitude
a. _____________________________________________
___________________________________________ 
i. The zones indicate how the sun’s rays strike places
within the zones. 
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Name: ___________________________ Date: ____________ Block: _________
b. During the earth’s yearly revolution around the sun, the
sun’s direct rays fall on the earth in a regular pattern.
c. Low Latitudes
i. _________________________________________
______________________________________. 
ii. The low latitudes receive direct rays of the sun
year-round, _____________________________
and are often said to be in the tropics.
d. Polar Areas
i. When either the ___________________ or the
_____________________ is tilted toward the sun,
its polar area receives continuous sunlight. 
ii. Starting on about June 21, the sun never sets above
a line called the Arctic Circle (66½° N). 
iii. In the Southern Hemisphere, the Antarctic Circle
(66½° S) is a line that marks the boundary of
_______________________________________.
e. High and Middle Latitudes
i. The latitudes between the North Pole and the
Arctic Circle and between the South Pole and the
Antarctic Circle are known as ______________. 
ii. The high latitudes receive slanted rays of the sun
throughout the year and have a generally
____________________________. 
iii. The latitudes between the Tropic of Cancer and the
Arctic Circle in the Northern Hemisphere and
between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic
Circle in the Southern Hemisphere are known as
the __________________________
iv. Many places in the middle latitudes have a
temperate climate–________________________
______________________________________
1. The weather of most places in the middle
latitudes changes dramatically with the
seasons.
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Name: ___________________________ Date: ____________ Block: _________
G. Elevation
a. ___________________________________________ 
b. The earth’s atmosphere gets _________ as altitude
increases, so air temperatures _______ with elevation. 
i. For every 1,000 feet gained, the temperature drops
about 3.5°F. 
c. High mountains are generally cold places covered with
ice and snow year-round, even though sunlight is very
bright.
H. Wind and Ocean Currents
a. Wind and water combine with the effects of the sun to
create the __________________________________ 
b. Wind ______________________________ and occurs
when temperatures create differences in air pressure.
c. Wind Patterns
i. Prevailing winds are _______________________
_________________________________________
_______________________________________. 
ii. Trade winds are the prevailing winds in the _____
_______, blowing toward the Equator from about
30° N latitude and 30° S latitude. 
iii. Westerlies are the prevailing winds in the belts
between ________________ latitude and between
____________________ latitude.
iv. __________________ lie between 60° N latitude
and the North Pole and between 60° S latitude and
the South Pole. 
1. Easterlies blow somewhat from east to west
and push cold polar air toward the middle
latitudes. 
v. The doldrums is a ________________________
________________________________________
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Name: ___________________________ Date: ____________ Block: _________
I. Ocean Currents
a. Ocean currents, _________________________,
generally move ________ in the Northern Hemisphere
and ________________ in the Southern Hemisphere. 
b. Currents are caused by... 
i. ____________________ 
ii. ____________________ 
iii. _____________________________________
c. Ocean currents affect the climates of coastal lands that
they flow along. 
d. Water and winds interact with temperature to cause
precipitation– ________________________________
____________________________________________
J. Landforms
a. The ____________________ can also affect climates. 
b. Temperatures of land areas located near oceans do not
change as much as ____________________________ 
c. Interior land areas experience much ______ summers
and much _____ winters than land areas near the ocean.
d. Temperatures, precipitation, and surface features interact
with wind to affect climate. 
e. Winds that blow over an ocean and then meet a
mountain range on the _____________–the side facing
the direction from which the wind is blowing–are
pushed upward. 
f. The air that descends the other side of the mountains, the
leeward side, _________________________________
____________________________________________.
Section 3
K. Introduction
a. Climate affects the soil and _____________–the plant
life that grows in an area if people have not changed the
natural environment. 
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Name: ___________________________ Date: ____________ Block: _________
b. Geographers often divide the earth into five major
climate regions: 
i. ___________________ 
ii. ________________ 
iii. _________________ 
iv. __________________ 
v. _______________
L. Tropical Climates
a. Tropical climate regions are found in or near the _____
______________. 
b. The two kinds of tropical climate regions are ________
______________ and tropical savanna.
c. Tropical Rain Forest Climate
i. Tropical rain forest climate regions are _________
throughout the year and are found near the
_________________. 
ii. Tropical rain forest vegetation grows thick in
layers formed at different heights. 
1. The ___________________ in South
America contains the world’s largest tropical
rain forest. 
2. The same climate is found in other parts of
South America, in the Caribbean area, and in
parts of Africa and Asia.
d. Tropical Savanna Climate
i. Tropical savanna climate regions ____________
_____________________________________
ii. Savannas are located farther from the Equator than
tropical rain forest regions. 
iii. Savannas are characterized by ____ temperatures,
clumps of _______________________.
M. Dry Climates
a. Because of vegetation, dry climate regions are also
divided into two types–__________ and ________.
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Name: ___________________________ Date: ____________ Block: _________
b. Desert Climate
i. ____________________________________. 
ii. Scattered vegetation such as ______ and _____
can survive with little rain. 
iii. Underground springs, however, may support an
oasis, _______________________. 
iv. Deserts can be __________________________
____________________________________. 
v. Desert climates cover about one-fifth of the earth’s
land surface.
c. Steppe Climate
i. Dry areas, often bordering deserts, are called
steppes. 
ii. Steppe vegetation consists of ________________
_____________________________________. 
1. The largest steppe stretches across eastern
Europe and western and central Asia.
N. Mid-latitude Climates
a. The world has four mid-latitude climate regions: 
i. ______________________ 
ii. ________________________ 
iii. _______________________ 
iv. ________________________
b. Marine West Coast Climate
i. Marine west coast climate regions are found along
western coastlines between latitudes ___________
north and south. 
ii. Ocean winds produce ________ summers
and ______________ winters. 
iii. Rainfall is quite heavy in places, and it supports
both _____________________________. 
iv. Most deciduous trees ______________________
_____________________________________. 
v. ___________________ are those with both
evergreen and deciduous trees.
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Name: ___________________________ Date: ____________ Block: _________
c. Mediterranean Climate
i. Areas that have weather patterns and vegetation
like those near the Mediterranean Sea are called
Mediterranean climate regions. 
ii. These regions are generally found in coastal lands
between latitudes _____________ north and south.
iii. They have ___________ winters and ___________
summers. 
iv. Vegetation in Mediterranean climate regions is
called chaparral, which includes _____________
________________________________________.
d. Humid Subtropical Climate
i. Humid subtropical climate regions have a pattern
of wind and high pressure related to nearby oceans,
which causes _______________. 
ii. Rain falls _________________ with __________
_________, while winters are generally ______
and ____________. 
iii. Vegetation in humid subtropical climate regions
includes _______, or prairie lands, and ______. 
iv. Forests consist of a mixture of broad-leaved
evergreen trees, deciduous trees, and needle-leaved
evergreens.
e. Humid Continental Climate
i. Humid continental climates are more influenced by
___________________, precipitation, or ocean
temperatures. 
ii. The farther north in the humid continental climate
regions, the ______________________________
winters and ________________________
summers.
O. High Latitude Climates
a. There are three types of high latitude climates: 
i. subarctic 
ii. tundra 
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Name: ___________________________ Date: ____________ Block: _________
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
iii. ice cap 
The subarctic climate regions lie _________________
_________________________________. 
In some places only a thin layer of surface soil thaws.
The frozen subsoil is known as ________________.
Subarctic Climate
i. The subarctic’s severe conditions
_______________________ plant life to mainly
needle-leaved evergreen trees. 
1. One vast subarctic forest stretches across
northern Russia. 
ii. Geographers often use _____________, the
Russian word for this forest, to refer to subarctic
climate regions in general.
Tundra Climate
i. The tundra climate regions _________________
______________________________________ 
ii. In summer the sun’s slanted rays bring constant
light but _____________________. 
iii. The tundra region’s _______ above the _________
supports only certain low plants and ________–
plants that grow on rocks.
Ice Cap Climate
i. Because monthly temperatures average below
freezing, ice cap climate regions support no
vegetation, except a few species that can live on
rocks.
P. Highland Climates
a. In mountain areas the climate varies with elevation.
___________________________________________
b. Near the bases of mountains, ____________________
_________________________________________. 
c. Higher up are _________ with small trees and shrubs. 
d. Above the __________, the elevation above which it is
too cold for trees to grow, are scattered tundra plants.
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Name: ___________________________ Date: ____________ Block: _________
Q. Climatic Changes
a. Climates change gradually over time. During the last 1
to 2 million years, for example, __________________
__________________________________________. 
b. Geographers have developed several possible
explanations for what caused ____________. 
c. One explanation is that variations in the sun’s output of
energy and in the earth’s orbit may have caused our
world to absorb less solar energy and cool off.
d. Another hypothesis, or ______________, suggests
volcanic activity over long periods of time released
massive amounts of dust into the atmosphere, which
___________________________________t. 
e. Geographers also believe that _____________ today
cause changes in the world’s climates. For example: 
f. Smoke from the burning of ____________ scatters the
sun’s rays.
g. The burning of fossil fuels releases _____________,
preventing some surface heat from ____________
atmosphere. 
h. Gases produced by burning fuels mix with water in the
air, forming _________________________________. 
i. The exhaust from automobiles helps create smog, ____
_____________________________________________
________________________________________. 
j. Water projects, such as dams and river diversions, may
cause new areas to become ___________.
R. El Niño
a. El Niño is a recurring ___________________ that has
an important impact on global weather by setting off
changes in the atmosphere. 
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Name: ___________________________ Date: ____________ Block: _________
b. A weakening of trade winds that blow east to west,
allowing a large mass of ______________ to move east
toward ________________, characterizes El Niño. 
c. El Niño used to occur every _______________ years but
now happens more often.
d. Scientists are not certain what causes El Niño, but many
link it with global warming. 
e. _____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
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