CBSE Class 9 Answered

Latitude: Latitude play an important role in determining the climate of a place.  The earth is divided into various heat zones according to the latitude on which they are located. For example, the Tropic of Cancer passes through India at 23°26′N to the north of equator. It passes through eight Indian states running from the Rann of Kutch from Gujarat to Mizoram in the east. The tropic of Cancer divides the country into two halves. The areas in India that lie to the north of the tropic of cancer lies in the sub tropical regions while areas to the south of the tropic lie in the tropical regions. Temperature remains high through out the tropical regions.

Altitude: As we go above the sea level, the temperature starts declining. Thus temperature decreases with an increase in altitude. There is a decrease of 10C for every 166 m rise in the height. This is the reason that hill stations are cooler than the plain region.

Air Pressure and Surface Winds: Air pressure and surface winds play an important role in controlling climate of a place. For example, India lies in the region of north easterly winds. However as these winds blow over land, they carry very little moisture and causes no rainfall.

During winters, high pressure area is created to the north of the Himalayas. Cold winds blow from this region to low pressure areas to south over the oceans.

During summers, as low pressure area develops over Central Asia; there is complete reversal of the direction of the winds. Wind moves from high pressure area over the Southern Indian Ocean. As these winds blow over the warm ocean, they gather moisture and bring rainfall in the country.

The climate of India is also influenced by the jet streams. The western cyclonic disturbances in the north and north western parts of the country are brought about by the sub tropical westerly jet streams.

Nearness to the Sea: Oceans control temperature of a place. Areas located near to the sea experience moderate climate as they are affected by the moderate influence of the seas. On the other hand, areas that are located in the interiors of the continent experience continental type of climate.  Since they are far away from the sea, they experience extreme climate. They are extremely hot during summers and extremely cold during the winters.