The CIA World Factbook Edition 2010 Geography

Climate In 36 editions of 36.

Climate was published in 36 editions of the CIA World Factbook, from 1990 to 2025. The 2010 edition carries it in 262 entries, in its Geography section. Every entry is shown as that edition published it.

entries in the 2010 edition
262
the first edition with it
1990
the latest edition with it
2025

Published as “Climate” (1990 to 2025).

the entry has the field in that editionnot in that editionthe open editionEach entry below ends in its editions with Climate, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down; choose one in a row to read that edition’s text there.

Entries with Climate in each edition

19902000201020202025

Select a bar to open that edition.

World

1 entry

World

a wide equatorial band of hot and humid tropical climates - bordered north and south by subtropical temperate zones - that separate two large areas of cold and dry polar climates

Africa

56 entries

Algeria

  • arid to semiarid;
  • mild, wet winters with hot, dry summers along coast;
  • drier with cold winters and hot summers on high plateau;
  • sirocco is a hot, dust/sand-laden wind especially common in summer

Angola

  • semiarid in south and along coast to Luanda;
  • north has cool,
  • dry season (May to October) and hot,
  • rainy season (November to April)

Benin

  • tropical;
  • hot, humid in south;
  • semiarid in north

Botswana

semiarid; warm winters and hot summers

Burkina Faso

  • tropical;
  • warm, dry winters;
  • hot, wet summers

Burundi

  • equatorial;
  • high plateau with considerable altitude variation (772 m to 2,670 m above sea level);
  • average annual temperature varies with altitude from 23 to 17 degrees centigrade but is generally moderate as the average altitude is about 1,700 m;
  • average annual rainfall is about 150 cm;
  • two wet seasons (February to May and September to November), and two dry seasons (June to August and December to January)

Cape Verde now Cabo Verde

  • temperate;
  • warm, dry summer;
  • precipitation meager and erratic

Cameroon

varies with terrain, from tropical along coast to semiarid and hot in north

Central African Republic

  • tropical;
  • hot, dry winters;
  • mild to hot, wet summers

Chad

tropical in south, desert in north

Comoros

tropical marine; rainy season (November to May)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the now Democratic Republic of the Congo

  • tropical;
  • hot and humid in equatorial river basin;
  • cooler and drier in southern highlands;
  • cooler and wetter in eastern highlands;
  • north of Equator - wet season (April to October), dry season (December to February);
  • south of Equator - wet season (November to March), dry season (April to October)

Congo, Republic of the now Republic of the Congo

  • tropical;
  • rainy season (March to June);
  • dry season (June to October);
  • persistent high temperatures and humidity;
  • particularly enervating climate astride the Equator

Cote d'Ivoire

  • tropical along coast,
  • semiarid in far north;
  • three seasons - warm and dry (November to March),
  • hot and dry (March to May),
  • hot and wet (June to October)

Djibouti

desert; torrid, dry

Egypt

desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters

Equatorial Guinea

tropical; always hot, humid

Eritrea

  • hot, dry desert strip along Red Sea coast;
  • cooler and wetter in the central highlands (up to 61 cm of rainfall annually, heaviest June to September);
  • semiarid in western hills and lowlands

Swaziland now Eswatini

varies from tropical to near temperate

Ethiopia

tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation

Gabon

tropical; always hot, humid

Gambia, The now The Gambia

  • tropical;
  • hot, rainy season (June to November);
  • cooler, dry season (November to May)

Ghana

  • tropical;
  • warm and comparatively dry along southeast coast;
  • hot and humid in southwest;
  • hot and dry in north

Guinea

  • generally hot and humid;
  • monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds;
  • dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds

Guinea-Bissau

  • tropical;
  • generally hot and humid;
  • monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds;
  • dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds

Kenya

varies from tropical along coast to arid in interior

Lesotho

  • temperate;
  • cool to cold, dry winters;
  • hot, wet summers

Liberia

  • tropical;
  • hot, humid;
  • dry winters with hot days and cool to cold nights;
  • wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers

Libya

Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior

Madagascar

  • tropical along coast,
  • temperate inland,
  • arid in south

Malawi

  • sub-tropical;
  • rainy season (November to May);
  • dry season (May to November)

Mali

  • subtropical to arid;
  • hot and dry (February to June);
  • rainy, humid, and mild (June to November);
  • cool and dry (November to February)

Mauritania

  • desert;
  • constantly hot,
  • dry,
  • dusty

Mauritius

  • tropical, modified by southeast trade winds;
  • warm, dry winter (May to November);
  • hot, wet, humid summer (November to May)

Mayotte

  • tropical;
  • marine;
  • hot, humid, rainy season during northeastern monsoon (November to May);
  • dry season is cooler (May to November)

Morocco

Mediterranean, becoming more extreme in the interior

Mozambique

tropical to subtropical

Namibia

  • desert;
  • hot, dry;
  • rainfall sparse and erratic

Niger

  • desert;
  • mostly hot, dry, dusty;
  • tropical in extreme south

Nigeria

  • varies;
  • equatorial in south,
  • tropical in center,
  • arid in north

Rwanda

  • temperate;
  • two rainy seasons (February to April, November to January);
  • mild in mountains with frost and snow possible

Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha

Saint Helena:
tropical marine; mild, tempered by trade winds
Ascension Island:
tropical marine; mild, semi-arid
Tristan da Cunha:
temperate marine; mild, tempered by trade winds (tends to be cooler than Saint Helena)

Sao Tome and Principe

  • tropical;
  • hot, humid;
  • one rainy season (October to May)

Senegal

  • tropical;
  • hot, humid;
  • rainy season (May to November) has strong southeast winds;
  • dry season (December to April) dominated by hot, dry, harmattan wind

Seychelles

  • tropical marine;
  • humid;
  • cooler season during southeast monsoon (late May to September);
  • warmer season during northwest monsoon (March to May)

Sierra Leone

  • tropical;
  • hot, humid;
  • summer rainy season (May to December);
  • winter dry season (December to April)

Somalia

  • principally desert;
  • northeast monsoon (December to February), moderate temperatures in north and hot in south;
  • southwest monsoon (May to October), torrid in the north and hot in the south, irregular rainfall, hot and humid periods (tangambili) between monsoons

South Africa

  • mostly semiarid;
  • subtropical along east coast;
  • sunny days, cool nights

Sudan

  • tropical in south;
  • arid desert in north;
  • rainy season varies by region (April to November)

Tanzania

varies from tropical along coast to temperate in highlands

Togo

  • tropical;
  • hot, humid in south;
  • semiarid in north

Tunisia

  • temperate in north with mild,
  • rainy winters and hot,
  • dry summers;
  • desert in south

Uganda

  • tropical;
  • generally rainy with two dry seasons (December to February, June to August);
  • semiarid in northeast

Western Sahara

  • hot, dry desert;
  • rain is rare;
  • cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew

Zambia

  • tropical;
  • modified by altitude;
  • rainy season (October to April)

Zimbabwe

  • tropical;
  • moderated by altitude;
  • rainy season (November to March)

Antarctic Region

5 entries

Antarctica

  • severe low temperatures vary with latitude, elevation, and distance from the ocean;
  • East Antarctica is colder than West Antarctica because of its higher elevation;
  • Antarctic Peninsula has the most moderate climate;
  • higher temperatures occur in January along the coast and average slightly below freezing

Bouvet Island

antarctic

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

Ile Amsterdam et Ile Saint-Paul:
oceanic with persistent westerly winds and high humidity
Iles Crozet:
windy, cold, wet, and cloudy
Iles Kerguelen:
  • oceanic,
  • cold,
  • overcast,
  • windy
Iles Eparses:
tropical

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

antarctic

South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands now South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

variable, with mostly westerly winds throughout the year interspersed with periods of calm; nearly all precipitation falls as snow

Arctic Region

4 entries

Greenland

arctic to subarctic; cool summers, cold winters

Iceland

  • temperate;
  • moderated by North Atlantic Current;
  • mild, windy winters;
  • damp, cool summers

Jan Mayen

arctic maritime with frequent storms and persistent fog

Svalbard

  • arctic, tempered by warm North Atlantic Current;
  • cool summers, cold winters;
  • North Atlantic Current flows along west and north coasts of Spitsbergen, keeping water open and navigable most of the year

Asia

23 entries

Afghanistan

arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers

Armenia

  • highland continental,
  • hot summers,
  • cold winters

Azerbaijan

dry, semiarid steppe

Bangladesh

  • tropical;
  • mild winter (October to March);
  • hot, humid summer (March to June);
  • humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October)

Bhutan

  • varies;
  • tropical in southern plains;
  • cool winters and hot summers in central valleys;
  • severe winters and cool summers in Himalayas

British Indian Ocean Territory

  • tropical marine;
  • hot,
  • humid,
  • moderated by trade winds

China

extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north

Georgia

warm and pleasant; Mediterranean-like on Black Sea coast

India

varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north

Japan

varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north

Kazakhstan

  • continental,
  • cold winters and hot summers,
  • arid and semiarid

Korea, North now North Korea

temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer

Korea, South now South Korea

temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winter

Kyrgyzstan

  • dry continental to polar in high Tien Shan Mountains;
  • subtropical in southwest (Fergana Valley);
  • temperate in northern foothill zone

Maldives

  • tropical;
  • hot, humid;
  • dry, northeast monsoon (November to March);
  • rainy, southwest monsoon (June to August)

Mongolia

desert; continental (large daily and seasonal temperature ranges)

Nepal

varies from cool summers and severe winters in north to subtropical summers and mild winters in south

Pakistan

  • mostly hot, dry desert;
  • temperate in northwest;
  • arctic in north

Russia

  • ranges from steppes in the south through humid continental in much of European Russia;
  • subarctic in Siberia to tundra climate in the polar north;
  • winters vary from cool along Black Sea coast to frigid in Siberia;
  • summers vary from warm in the steppes to cool along Arctic coast

Sri Lanka

  • tropical monsoon;
  • northeast monsoon (December to March);
  • southwest monsoon (June to October)

Tajikistan

  • midlatitude continental,
  • hot summers,
  • mild winters;
  • semiarid to polar in Pamir Mountains

Turkmenistan

subtropical desert

Uzbekistan

  • mostly midlatitude desert,
  • long,
  • hot summers,
  • mild winters;
  • semiarid grassland in east

Central America and the Caribbean

34 entries

Anguilla

tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds

Antigua and Barbuda

tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation

Aruba

tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation

Bahamas, The now The Bahamas

tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream

Barbados

tropical; rainy season (June to October)

Belize

  • tropical;
  • very hot and humid;
  • rainy season (May to November);
  • dry season (February to May)

British Virgin Islands

  • subtropical;
  • humid;
  • temperatures moderated by trade winds

Cayman Islands

  • tropical marine;
  • warm,
  • rainy summers (May to October) and cool,
  • relatively dry winters (November to April)

Costa Rica

  • tropical and subtropical;
  • dry season (December to April);
  • rainy season (May to November);
  • cooler in highlands

Cuba

  • tropical;
  • moderated by trade winds;
  • dry season (November to April);
  • rainy season (May to October)

Curacao

tropical marine climate, ameliorated by northeast trade winds, results in mild temperatures; semi-arid with average rainfall of 600 mm/year

Dominica

  • tropical;
  • moderated by northeast trade winds;
  • heavy rainfall

Dominican Republic

  • tropical maritime;
  • little seasonal temperature variation;
  • seasonal variation in rainfall

El Salvador

  • tropical;
  • rainy season (May to October);
  • dry season (November to April);
  • tropical on coast;
  • temperate in uplands

Grenada

tropical; tempered by northeast trade winds

Guatemala

  • tropical;
  • hot, humid in lowlands;
  • cooler in highlands

Haiti

tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds

Honduras

subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains

Jamaica

  • tropical;
  • hot, humid;
  • temperate interior

Montserrat

tropical; little daily or seasonal temperature variation

Navassa Island

marine, tropical

Netherlands Antilles

tropical; ameliorated by northeast trade winds

Nicaragua

tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands

Panama

  • tropical maritime;
  • hot, humid, cloudy;
  • prolonged rainy season (May to January), short dry season (January to May)

Puerto Rico

tropical marine, mild; little seasonal temperature variation

Saint Barthelemy

tropical, with practically no variation in temperature; has two seasons (dry and humid)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

  • tropical, tempered by constant sea breezes;
  • little seasonal temperature variation;
  • rainy season (May to November)

Saint Lucia

  • tropical,
  • moderated by northeast trade winds;
  • dry season January to April,
  • rainy season May to August

Saint Martin

  • temperature averages 80-85 degrees all year long;
  • low humidity, gentle trade winds, brief, intense rain showers;
  • July-November is the hurricane season

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

  • tropical;
  • little seasonal temperature variation;
  • rainy season (May to November)

Sint Maarten

  • tropical marine climate, ameliorated by northeast trade winds, results in moderate temperatures;
  • average rainfall of 1500 mm/year;
  • July-November is the hurricane season

Trinidad and Tobago

tropical; rainy season (June to December)

Turks and Caicos Islands

  • tropical;
  • marine;
  • moderated by trade winds;
  • sunny and relatively dry

Virgin Islands

  • subtropical,
  • tempered by easterly trade winds,
  • relatively low humidity,
  • little seasonal temperature variation;
  • rainy season September to November

Europe

49 entries

Albania

  • mild temperate;
  • cool, cloudy, wet winters;
  • hot, clear, dry summers;
  • interior is cooler and wetter

Andorra

  • temperate;
  • snowy,
  • cold winters and warm,
  • dry summers

Austria

  • temperate;
  • continental, cloudy;
  • cold winters with frequent rain and some snow in lowlands and snow in mountains;
  • moderate summers with occasional showers

Belarus

cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between continental and maritime

Belgium

  • temperate;
  • mild winters, cool summers;
  • rainy, humid, cloudy

Bosnia and Herzegovina

  • hot summers and cold winters;
  • areas of high elevation have short, cool summers and long, severe winters;
  • mild, rainy winters along coast

Bulgaria

  • temperate;
  • cold, damp winters;
  • hot, dry summers

Croatia

  • Mediterranean and continental;
  • continental climate predominant with hot summers and cold winters;
  • mild winters, dry summers along coast

Czech Republic now Czechia

  • temperate;
  • cool summers;
  • cold, cloudy, humid winters

Denmark

  • temperate;
  • humid and overcast;
  • mild, windy winters and cool summers

Estonia

  • maritime;
  • wet,
  • moderate winters,
  • cool summers

European Union

  • cold temperate;
  • potentially subarctic in the north to temperate;
  • mild wet winters;
  • hot dry summers in the south

Faroe Islands

  • mild winters, cool summers;
  • usually overcast;
  • foggy, windy

Finland

cold temperate; potentially subarctic but comparatively mild because of moderating influence of the North Atlantic Current, Baltic Sea, and more than 60,000 lakes

France

metropolitan France:
  • generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean;
  • occasional strong, cold, dry, north-to-northwesterly wind known as mistral
French Guiana:
  • tropical;
  • hot, humid;
  • little seasonal temperature variation
Guadeloupe and Martinique:
  • subtropical tempered by trade winds;
  • moderately high humidity;
  • rainy season (June to October);
  • vulnerable to devastating cyclones (hurricanes) every eight years on average
Reunion:
  • tropical,
  • but temperature moderates with elevation;
  • cool and dry (May to November),
  • hot and rainy (November to April)

Germany

  • temperate and marine;
  • cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers;
  • occasional warm mountain (foehn) wind

Gibraltar

Mediterranean with mild winters and warm summers

Greece

  • temperate;
  • mild, wet winters;
  • hot, dry summers

Guernsey

temperate with mild winters and cool summers; about 50% of days are overcast

Holy See (Vatican City)

  • temperate;
  • mild,
  • rainy winters (September to May) with hot,
  • dry summers (May to September)

Hungary

  • temperate;
  • cold, cloudy, humid winters;
  • warm summers

Ireland

  • temperate maritime;
  • modified by North Atlantic Current;
  • mild winters, cool summers;
  • consistently humid;
  • overcast about half the time

Isle of Man

  • temperate;
  • cool summers and mild winters;
  • overcast about a third of the time

Italy

  • predominantly Mediterranean;
  • Alpine in far north;
  • hot, dry in south

Jersey

temperate; mild winters and cool summers

Kosovo

  • influenced by continental air masses resulting in relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall and hot, dry summers and autumns;
  • Mediterranean and alpine influences create regional variation;
  • maximum rainfall between October and December

Latvia

maritime; wet, moderate winters

Liechtenstein

  • continental;
  • cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow or rain;
  • cool to moderately warm, cloudy, humid summers

Lithuania

  • transitional,
  • between maritime and continental;
  • wet,
  • moderate winters and summers

Luxembourg

modified continental with mild winters, cool summers

Malta

  • Mediterranean;
  • mild, rainy winters;
  • hot, dry summers

Moldova

moderate winters, warm summers

Monaco

  • Mediterranean with mild,
  • wet winters and hot,
  • dry summers

Montenegro

Mediterranean climate, hot dry summers and autumns and relatively cold winters with heavy snowfalls inland

Netherlands

  • temperate;
  • marine;
  • cool summers and mild winters

Macedonia now North Macedonia

warm, dry summers and autumns; relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall

Norway

  • temperate along coast, modified by North Atlantic Current;
  • colder interior with increased precipitation and colder summers;
  • rainy year-round on west coast

Poland

  • temperate with cold,
  • cloudy,
  • moderately severe winters with frequent precipitation;
  • mild summers with frequent showers and thundershowers

Portugal

maritime temperate; cool and rainy in north, warmer and drier in south

Romania

  • temperate;
  • cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow and fog;
  • sunny summers with frequent showers and thunderstorms

San Marino

  • Mediterranean;
  • mild to cool winters;
  • warm, sunny summers

Serbia

  • in the north, continental climate (cold winters and hot, humid summers with well distributed rainfall);
  • in other parts, continental and Mediterranean climate (relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall and hot, dry summers and autumns)

Slovakia

  • temperate;
  • cool summers;
  • cold, cloudy, humid winters

Slovenia

Mediterranean climate on the coast, continental climate with mild to hot summers and cold winters in the plateaus and valleys to the east

Spain

  • temperate;
  • clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast;
  • cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool along coast

Sweden

  • temperate in south with cold,
  • cloudy winters and cool,
  • partly cloudy summers;
  • subarctic in north

Switzerland

  • temperate, but varies with altitude;
  • cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters;
  • cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers

Ukraine

  • temperate continental;
  • Mediterranean only on the southern Crimean coast;
  • precipitation disproportionately distributed, highest in west and north, lesser in east and southeast;
  • winters vary from cool along the Black Sea to cold farther inland;
  • summers are warm across the greater part of the country, hot in the south

United Kingdom

  • temperate;
  • moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North Atlantic Current;
  • more than one-half of the days are overcast

Middle East

19 entries

Akrotiri

temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters

Bahrain

  • arid;
  • mild, pleasant winters;
  • very hot, humid summers

Cyprus

temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters

Dhekelia

temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters

Gaza Strip

  • temperate,
  • mild winters,
  • dry and warm to hot summers

Iran

mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast

Iraq

  • mostly desert;
  • mild to cool winters with dry, hot, cloudless summers;
  • northern mountainous regions along Iranian and Turkish borders experience cold winters with occasionally heavy snows that melt in early spring, sometimes causing extensive flooding in central and southern Iraq

Israel

temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas

Jordan

mostly arid desert; rainy season in west (November to April)

Kuwait

  • dry desert;
  • intensely hot summers;
  • short, cool winters

Lebanon

  • Mediterranean;
  • mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers;
  • Lebanon mountains experience heavy winter snows

Oman

  • dry desert;
  • hot, humid along coast;
  • hot, dry interior;
  • strong southwest summer monsoon (May to September) in far south

Qatar

  • arid;
  • mild, pleasant winters;
  • very hot, humid summers

Saudi Arabia

harsh, dry desert with great temperature extremes

Syria

  • mostly desert;
  • hot, dry, sunny summers (June to August) and mild, rainy winters (December to February) along coast;
  • cold weather with snow or sleet periodically in Damascus

Turkey now Turkiye

  • temperate;
  • hot, dry summers with mild, wet winters;
  • harsher in interior

United Arab Emirates

desert; cooler in eastern mountains

West Bank

  • temperate;
  • temperature and precipitation vary with altitude,
  • warm to hot summers,
  • cool to mild winters

Yemen

  • mostly desert;
  • hot and humid along west coast;
  • temperate in western mountains affected by seasonal monsoon;
  • extraordinarily hot, dry, harsh desert in east

North America

6 entries

Bermuda

  • subtropical;
  • mild, humid;
  • gales, strong winds common in winter

Canada

varies from temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in north

Clipperton Island

tropical; humid, average temperature 20-32 degrees C, wet season (May to October)

Mexico

varies from tropical to desert

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

cold and wet, with considerable mist and fog; spring and autumn are often windy

United States

  • mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska, semiarid in the great plains west of the Mississippi River, and arid in the Great Basin of the southwest;
  • low winter temperatures in the northwest are ameliorated occasionally in January and February by warm chinook winds from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains

Oceania

28 entries

American Samoa

  • tropical marine, moderated by southeast trade winds;
  • annual rainfall averages about 3 m;
  • rainy season (November to April), dry season (May to October);
  • little seasonal temperature variation

Australia

  • generally arid to semiarid;
  • temperate in south and east;
  • tropical in north

Cook Islands

  • tropical oceanic;
  • moderated by trade winds;
  • a dry season from April to November and a more humid season from December to March

Coral Sea Islands

tropical

Fiji

tropical marine; only slight seasonal temperature variation

French Polynesia

tropical, but moderate

Guam

  • tropical marine;
  • generally warm and humid, moderated by northeast trade winds;
  • dry season (January to June), rainy season (July to December);
  • little seasonal temperature variation

Kiribati

  • tropical;
  • marine,
  • hot and humid,
  • moderated by trade winds

Marshall Islands

  • tropical;
  • hot and humid;
  • wet season May to November;
  • islands border typhoon belt

Micronesia, Federated States of now Federated States of Micronesia

  • tropical;
  • heavy year-round rainfall, especially in the eastern islands;
  • located on southern edge of the typhoon belt with occasionally severe damage

Nauru

tropical with a monsoonal pattern; rainy season (November to February)

New Caledonia

  • tropical;
  • modified by southeast trade winds;
  • hot, humid

New Zealand

temperate with sharp regional contrasts

Niue

tropical; modified by southeast trade winds

Norfolk Island

subtropical; mild, little seasonal temperature variation

Northern Mariana Islands

  • tropical marine;
  • moderated by northeast trade winds, little seasonal temperature variation;
  • dry season December to June, rainy season July to October

Palau

  • tropical;
  • hot and humid;
  • wet season May to November

Papua New Guinea

  • tropical;
  • northwest monsoon (December to March), southeast monsoon (May to October);
  • slight seasonal temperature variation

Pitcairn Islands

  • tropical;
  • hot and humid;
  • modified by southeast trade winds;
  • rainy season (November to March)

Samoa

tropical; rainy season (November to April), dry season (May to October)

Solomon Islands

tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather

Tokelau

tropical; moderated by trade winds (April to November)

Tonga

  • tropical;
  • modified by trade winds;
  • warm season (December to May), cool season (May to December)

Tuvalu

  • tropical;
  • moderated by easterly trade winds (March to November);
  • westerly gales and heavy rain (November to March)

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

Baker, Howland, and Jarvis Islands:
  • equatorial;
  • scant rainfall,
  • constant wind,
  • burning sun
Johnston Atoll and Kingman Reef:
tropical, but generally dry; consistent northeast trade winds with little seasonal temperature variation
Midway Islands:
  • subtropical with cool, moist winters (December to February) and warm, dry summers (May to October);
  • moderated by prevailing easterly winds;
  • most of the 1,067 mm (42 in) of annual rainfall occurs during the winter
Palmyra Atoll:
equatorial, hot; located within the low pressure area of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) where the northeast and southeast trade winds meet, it is extremely wet with between 4,000-5,000 mm (160-200 in) of rainfall each year

Vanuatu

  • tropical;
  • moderated by southeast trade winds from May to October;
  • moderate rainfall from November to April;
  • may be affected by cyclones from December to April

Wake Island

tropical

Wallis and Futuna

  • tropical;
  • hot, rainy season (November to April);
  • cool, dry season (May to October);
  • rains 2,500-3,000 mm per year (80% humidity);
  • average temperature 26.6 degrees C

South America

13 entries

Argentina

  • mostly temperate;
  • arid in southeast;
  • subantarctic in southwest

Bolivia

varies with altitude; humid and tropical to cold and semiarid

Brazil

mostly tropical, but temperate in south

Chile

  • temperate;
  • desert in north;
  • Mediterranean in central region;
  • cool and damp in south

Colombia

tropical along coast and eastern plains; cooler in highlands

Ecuador

tropical along coast, becoming cooler inland at higher elevations; tropical in Amazonian jungle lowlands

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

  • cold marine;
  • strong westerly winds, cloudy, humid;
  • rain occurs on more than half of days in year;
  • average annual rainfall is 24 inches in Stanley;
  • occasional snow all year, except in January and February, but typically does not accumulate

Guyana

  • tropical;
  • hot, humid, moderated by northeast trade winds;
  • two rainy seasons (May to August, November to January)

Paraguay

subtropical to temperate; substantial rainfall in the eastern portions, becoming semiarid in the far west

Peru

varies from tropical in east to dry desert in west; temperate to frigid in Andes

Suriname

tropical; moderated by trade winds

Uruguay

warm temperate; freezing temperatures almost unknown

Venezuela

  • tropical;
  • hot, humid;
  • more moderate in highlands

Southeast Asia

19 entries

Ashmore and Cartier Islands

tropical

Brunei

  • tropical;
  • hot,
  • humid,
  • rainy

Burma now Burma (Myanmar)

  • tropical monsoon;
  • cloudy, rainy, hot, humid summers (southwest monsoon, June to September);
  • less cloudy, scant rainfall, mild temperatures, lower humidity during winter (northeast monsoon, December to April)

Cambodia

  • tropical;
  • rainy, monsoon season (May to November);
  • dry season (December to April);
  • little seasonal temperature variation

Christmas Island

tropical with a wet season (December to April) and dry season; heat and humidity moderated by trade winds

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

tropical with high humidity, moderated by the southeast trade winds for about nine months of the year

Hong Kong

  • subtropical monsoon;
  • cool and humid in winter,
  • hot and rainy from spring through summer,
  • warm and sunny in fall

Indonesia

  • tropical;
  • hot, humid;
  • more moderate in highlands

Laos

  • tropical monsoon;
  • rainy season (May to November);
  • dry season (December to April)

Macau

subtropical; marine with cool winters, warm summers

Malaysia

tropical; annual southwest (April to October) and northeast (October to February) monsoons

Paracel Islands

tropical

Philippines

  • tropical marine;
  • northeast monsoon (November to April);
  • southwest monsoon (May to October)

Singapore

  • tropical;
  • hot, humid, rainy;
  • two distinct monsoon seasons - Northeastern monsoon (December to March) and Southwestern monsoon (June to September);
  • inter-monsoon - frequent afternoon and early evening thunderstorms

Spratly Islands

tropical

Taiwan

  • tropical;
  • marine;
  • rainy season during southwest monsoon (June to August);
  • cloudiness is persistent and extensive all year

Thailand

  • tropical;
  • rainy, warm, cloudy southwest monsoon (mid-May to September);
  • dry, cool northeast monsoon (November to mid-March);
  • southern isthmus always hot and humid

Timor-Leste

  • tropical;
  • hot, humid;
  • distinct rainy and dry seasons

Vietnam

  • tropical in south;
  • monsoonal in north with hot,
  • rainy season (May to September) and warm,
  • dry season (October to March)

Oceans

5 entries

Arctic Ocean

  • polar climate characterized by persistent cold and relatively narrow annual temperature ranges;
  • winters characterized by continuous darkness, cold and stable weather conditions, and clear skies;
  • summers characterized by continuous daylight, damp and foggy weather, and weak cyclones with rain or snow

Atlantic Ocean

  • tropical cyclones (hurricanes) develop off the coast of Africa near Cape Verde and move westward into the Caribbean Sea;
  • hurricanes can occur from May to December but are most frequent from August to November

Indian Ocean

  • northeast monsoon (December to April), southwest monsoon (June to October);
  • tropical cyclones occur during May/June and October/November in the northern Indian Ocean and January/February in the southern Indian Ocean

Pacific Ocean

  • planetary air pressure systems and resultant wind patterns exhibit remarkable uniformity in the south and east;
  • trade winds and westerly winds are well-developed patterns, modified by seasonal fluctuations;
  • tropical cyclones (hurricanes) may form south of Mexico from June to October and affect Mexico and Central America;
  • continental influences cause climatic uniformity to be much less pronounced in the eastern and western regions at the same latitude in the North Pacific Ocean;
  • the western Pacific is monsoonal - a rainy season occurs during the summer months, when moisture-laden winds blow from the ocean over the land, and a dry season during the winter months, when dry winds blow from the Asian landmass back to the ocean;
  • tropical cyclones (typhoons) may strike southeast and east Asia from May to December

Southern Ocean

  • sea temperatures vary from about 10 degrees Celsius to -2 degrees Celsius;
  • cyclonic storms travel eastward around the continent and frequently are intense because of the temperature contrast between ice and open ocean;
  • the ocean area from about latitude 40 south to the Antarctic Circle has the strongest average winds found anywhere on Earth;
  • in winter the ocean freezes outward to 65 degrees south latitude in the Pacific sector and 55 degrees south latitude in the Atlantic sector, lowering surface temperatures well below 0 degrees Celsius;
  • at some coastal points intense persistent drainage winds from the interior keep the shoreline ice-free throughout the winter

Cite this page

Central Intelligence Agency. The World Factbook 2010, “Climate”, all entries. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/fields/climate/2010.

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