World climates

Different parts of the world have different weather all year round, and we call that a climate. Tropical places are hot and rainy, so thick green jungles and parrots live there; dry places like deserts get almost no rain, so camels and cactus plants manage with very little water. Temperate places have warm summers and cool winters, which is why the trees change colour and animals like deer and squirrels live in the woods. Polar places stay freezing cold and covered in ice, so the animals there, such as polar bears and penguins, have thick fur or feathers to stay warm.

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Examples

When you pack for a holiday you choose different clothes depending on where you are going: a sun hat for a hot beach, a thick coat and gloves for the snowy mountains.
In a zoo the animals are not all kept together, because a camel and a polar bear need very different homes, one warm and sandy and one cold and icy.