Geography as a science studies a number of features of our planet, paying great attention to the shell. The modern approach involves the division of the planet's shell into several large zones, which are called geographic zones. At the same time, attention is paid to a number of criteria: temperature features, the specifics of the circulation of atmospheric masses, the characteristic features of the animal and plant world.
What exists?
From geography you can learn a lot of interesting information. For example, it is known how many time zones Russia is located in: nine. But there are six geographical zones in our country. In total, there are nine types of geographical zones: equatorial, subequatorial (two slightly different species), tropics, subtropics, temperate zones (two, each on its own half of the planet), two northern zones in each hemisphere - the Arctic and Antarctic, and also the subarctic, subantarctic belts adjacent to them. Geographic - these are climatic zones (that is, there are two terms that apply to the same real area).
All geographic zones can be divided into natural zones. For correct division, it is necessary to analyzetemperature, humidity and identify the relationship between these parameters. Often, the names of the zones were given, focusing on the type of vegetation prevailing in this area. In some cases, a natural area is named after a term that describes its natural landscape. So, the geographical zones of Russia include such natural zones: tundra, steppe, desert and forests. In addition, there are forest-tundras, light forests, semi-deserts and many other types of zones.
Belts and zones: is there a difference?
As is known from geography, natural belts are a latitudinal phenomenon, but zones depend much less on latitude. The heterogeneity of the surface of our planet plays a role, due to which the level of humidity varies greatly. The same continent in different parts of the same latitude can have different levels of humidity.
As can be seen from the geography of the globe, often rather dry areas are located inside the mainland: steppes, deserts, semi-deserts. But there are exceptions everywhere: Namib, Atacama are classic representatives of deserts, but they are located on the coast, and in a rather cold area. Zones within the geographic zone, crossing the continents, are mostly heterogeneous, so the term "meridional areas" was introduced. As a rule, they talk about three such areas: the central one, remote from the coast, and two coastal ones, adjacent to the ocean.
Eurasia: features of the mainland
The geographical belts characteristic of Eurasia are usually divided into the following additional zones: broad-leaved wooded steppes go to the west of the Urals, betweenThe Urals and Baikal are dominated by coniferous and small-leaved wooded steppes, and prairies are located on the territory between the Sungari and the Amur. Zones in some places move from one to another gradually, there are transitional areas, due to which the boundaries are blurred.
Features of climatic zones
Such areas are homogeneous in terms of climate, they can be interrupted or continuous. Climatic zones are located along the latitudes of our planet. To divide the space into such areas, scientists analyze the following information:
- specifics of circulation of atmospheric masses;
- heating level from the luminary;
- change of atmospheric masses provoked by seasonal factors.
It is noted that the difference between the subequatorial climate, equatorial, temperate and other types is quite significant. Usually, the countdown starts from the equator, gradually moving up - to the two poles. In addition to the latitudinal factor, the climate is strongly influenced by the relief of the planet's surface, the proximity of large water masses and the rise relative to sea level.
Basic Theory
About how natural geographical zones and climatic zones are delimited, how they pass into each other and how they are divided into zones, a fairly well-known Soviet scientist Alisov spoke in his works. In particular, a landmark work on climatology was published under his name in 1956. It laid the foundations for the classification of all climate zones existing on our planet. From that year to this day, not onlyin our country, but almost all over the world, the classification system proposed by Alisov is used. It is thanks to this outstanding Soviet figure that no one else has any doubts about which climate, for example, the Caribbean islands should be attributed to.
Considering the subarctic and subantarctic belts, as well as other belts, Alisov identified four main zones and three transitional zones: adjacent to the poles, adjacent to them, temperate, tropical, adjacent to the tropics and the equator. Each zone corresponds to its own unique type of climate: continental, oceanic, and also coastal, characteristic of the east and west.
Closer to warmth
Perhaps the most pleasant places for lovers of warmer places are not the Arctic and Antarctic belts at all (by the way, in former times there was an erroneous opinion that the South Pole is the warmest place on the planet), but the equator. The air here is warmed up to 24-28 degrees all year round. The temperature of the water during the year fluctuates sometimes by only one degree. But a lot of precipitation falls at the equator per year: up to 3,000 mm in flat areas, and twice as much in mountainous areas.
Another warm part of the planet is the one where the subequatorial climate reigns. The prefix "sub" in the name means "under". This site is located between the equator and the tropics. In summer, the weather is predominantly controlled by air masses from the equator, while in winter the tropics dominate. In summer, precipitation is less than that of neighbors at the equator (from 1,000 to 3,000 mm), but the temperature is slightly higher - about 30degrees. The winter period passes almost without precipitation, the air warms up to +14 on average.
Tropics and subtropics
The tropics are divided into continental and oceanic, and each category has its own characteristic feature. On the mainland, precipitation usually falls in the amount of 100-250 mm per year, in summer the air warms up to 40 degrees, and in winter - only up to 15. In 24 hours, the temperature can fluctuate within forty degrees. But the oceanic zone is distinguished by an even lower amount of precipitation (within 50 mm), a slightly lower average daily temperature in summer than on the mainland - up to 27 degrees. And in winter it is as cold here as it is away from the coast - about 15 degrees Celsius.
Subtropics is a zone that provides a smooth transition from the tropical to temperate geographic zone. In summer, the air masses that came from more southern neighboring areas “rule the weather” here, but in winter - from temperate latitudes. Summer in the subtropics is usually dry and hot, the air warms up to 50 degrees Celsius. In winter, this climate is characterized by cold, precipitation, snow is possible. True, there is no permanent snow cover in the subtropics. Precipitation is approximately 500 mm per year.
In the mainland, dry subtropics are usually located, where it is very hot in summer, but in winter the thermometer drops to minus twenty. During the year, precipitation falls in the amount of 120 mm, or even less. The Mediterranean also belongs to the subtropics, andthe name of this area gave the name to the geographical zone - the Mediterranean, characteristic of the western extremities of the continents. In summer it is dry and hot, and in winter it is cool and rainy. Usually up to 600 mm of precipitation falls per year. Finally, the eastern subtropics are monsoons. It is cold and dry here in winter (compared to other parts of the subtropical geographical zone), in summer the air warms up to 25 degrees Celsius, it rains (about 800 mm of precipitation).
Temperate climate
Any educated resident of Russia should know how many time zones (nine) and how many climatic (four) there are in their native country. At the same time, the temperate climatic and geographical zone is dominant. It is characterized by temperate latitudes and is distinguished by a rather large annual precipitation: from 1,000 to 3,000 in coastal areas. But in the inner zones, precipitation is often small: only 100 mm in some areas. In summer, the air warms up to a temperature of 10 to 28 degrees Celsius, and in winter it varies from 4 degrees Celsius to frost, reaching -50 degrees Celsius. It is customary to talk about maritime, monsoon, continental temperate areas. Any educated person who has completed a school geography course should know them, as well as how many time zones Russia is located in (nine).
The maritime climate is characterized by a fairly large amount of precipitation: in mountainous areas, up to 6,000 mm falls annually. On the plain it is usually less: from 500 to 1000 mm. In winter, the air warms up to five degrees Celsius,and in summer - up to 20. In the continental part, about 400 mm of precipitation falls per year, the warm season is characterized by air warmed up to 26 degrees, and in winter frosts reach -24 degrees. The Continental Temperate Zone is an area where there is persistent snow cover for several months of the year. There are many areas where this period is very long. Finally, temperate monsoon is such an additional type of climate, which is characterized by an annual rainfall of up to 560 mm. In winter it is usually clear, frost reaches 27 degrees, and in summer it often rains, the air warms up to 23 degrees Celsius.
North
Subpolar climate is two poles adjacent to the Arctic and Antarctic, respectively. In summer, this area is quite cool, as humid air comes from temperate latitudes. Typically, the warm period is characterized by the heating of air masses up to 10 degrees Celsius, precipitation - at the level of 300 mm. However, depending on the specific area, these indicators vary significantly. For example, in the northeastern parts of Yakutia, only 100 mm of precipitation often falls. But winter in a subpolar climate is cold, reigning for many months. At this time of the year, air masses that come from the north dominate, and the thermometer drops to -50 degrees, or even lower.
Finally, the coldest are the Arctic and Antarctic belts. The climate prevailing here in geography is considered polar. It is typical for latitudes above 70 degrees in the north and below 65 degrees in the south. This area is characterized by cold air and year-roundsnow resistant cover. Precipitation is not characteristic of such a climate, but the air is often filled with tiny needles of ice. Due to the settling of these masses, an increase in snow occurs per year, comparable to 100 mm of precipitation. On average, in summer the air warms up to zero Celsius, and in winter frost reigns down to -40 degrees. Geographic coordinates of the earth's poles:
- in the south - 90°00'00″ S;
- in the north - 90°00'00″ north latitude.
Geographic time zones
Another important geographical division of our planet is due to the specifics of the rotation of the globe around its axis and around the Sun. All this affects the change of time of day - in different areas the day begins at different times. How many time zones are there on our planet? The correct answer is 24.
The fact that it is impossible to uniformly illuminate the entire surface of the planet became clear when mankind discovered that the Earth is not a flat surface at all, but a rotating ball. Consequently, as scientists soon found out, on the surface of the planet there is a cyclical change in the time of day, consistent and gradual - it was called the change of the time zone. At the same time, astronomical time is determined by the position of the Sun at the zenith, which is typical for different parts of the globe at different times.
Historical milestones and geography
It is known that in the old days, the astronomical difference did not actually create any problems for mankind. To determine the time, one had only to look at the Sun; noon was determined by the moment when the luminary passes the highest point abovehorizon. At that time, ordinary people often did not even have their own clocks, but only city ones, which carried information about the change of time to the entire settlement.
The concept of "time zone" did not exist, in those days it was impossible to imagine that it could be relevant. Between settlements located not far from each other, the time difference was minutes - well, let's say a quarter of an hour, no more. Given the lack of telephone service (let alone high-speed internet), and the limited availability of vehicles, such time shifts did not represent a really significant difference.
Time Synchronization
Technical progress has set an abundance of new tasks and problems for humanity, and one of them has become time synchronization. This changed the human life quite a lot, and the time difference turned out to be a source of considerable headache, especially at first, while there was no solution in the form of changing time zones with the systematization of this phenomenon. Those who traveled long distances by train were the first to feel the complexity of changing time intervals. One meridian forced to move the hour hand by 4 minutes - and so on all the way. Of course, this was not easy to follow.
Railway workers found themselves in an even more difficult situation, because the dispatchers simply could not say in advance and exactly at what point in time and in what place in space the train would be. And the problem was much more significant thanpossible delay: the incorrectness of the schedule could lead to clashes and numerous casu alties. To get out of this situation, it was decided to introduce time zones.
Order restored
The initiator of the introduction of time zones was the famous English scientist William Wollaston, who worked with the chemistry of metals. Surprisingly, it was the chemist who solved the chronological problem. His idea was as follows: to call the territory of Great Britain one time zone, to give it the name of Greenwich. Railroad representatives quickly appreciated the benefits of this proposal, and common time was introduced as early as 1840. After another 12 years, the telegraph regularly transmitted a signal about the exact time, and in 1880 the whole of Great Britain switched to a single time, for which the authorities even issued a special law.
The first country to pick up the English fashion for the exact time is America. True, the States are much larger in territory than England, so the idea had to be improved. It was decided to divide the entire space into four zones, in which the time with neighboring areas differed by an hour. These were the first time zones in the history of our time: Center, Mountains, East and Pacific. But in the cities, people often refused to follow the new law. The last to resist the innovation was Detroit, but here the public finally gave in - since 1916, the clock hands were translated, and since then, to this day, time has reigned, consistent with the division of the planet into time zones.
An idea takes over the world
The first propaganda of the division of space into time zones attractedattention in different countries even at a time when time zones were not introduced anywhere, but the railway already needed a mechanism for coordinating time intervals. Then, for the first time, the idea of the need to divide the entire planet into 24 sections was voiced. True, politicians and scientists did not support it, they called it a utopia and immediately forgot it. But in 1884, the situation changed radically: the planet was still divided into 24 parts during a conference with representatives from different countries. The event was held in Washington DC. A number of countries spoke out against the innovation, among them was the representative of the Russian Empire. Our country recognized the division into time zones only in 1919.
Currently, the division into time zones is recognized throughout the planet and is actively used in various areas of life. The need for time synchronization, also due to fast communication with different parts of the world using the latest technologies, is now more relevant than ever. Fortunately, technical means come to the aid of a person: programmable watches, computers and smartphones, through which you can always find out exactly what time it is anywhere in the world and how much this time differs from the characteristic other area.
