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 Cacti growing in the Arizona desert. These plants can stand up to the hot, dry desert climate.

Climate A particular place

The water cycle When the Sun’s rays fall on seas and rivers, the water heats up and evaporates, or turns to vapor. The

on Earth has a similar weather pattern year after year. We call this usual weather pattern

the climate . The main feature of climate is temperature. The Sun’s rays do not carry the same amount of energy to every place on Earth. This is because the Earth is round and the Sun’s rays fall on the surface at different angles in different places. The nearness of the sea also affects climate. Water holds on to heat better than land, so places by the ocean or large bodies of water often have a milder climate than places inland.

vapor mixes with the air and is carried away by the wind. As the air cools, the vapor turns back into drops of water, creating clouds. When the drops grow large, they fall from the clouds as rain or snow. The rain and snow find their way back into the rivers and seas, and the process starts again. This process, called the water cycle, helps determine what the weather is like.

∆ Every part of the world has a different climate. Each climate suits different plants and animals.

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