Describe the factors that affect the climate of Asia.

The factors that affect the climate of Asia are-

1. Latitudes — The vast extent of Asia covering 10°S to 80°N latitudes experiences all the types of climate ranging from hot and wet Equatorial type in the south to dry and cold Tundra type in the north.
2. Distance from the sea — Places close to the sea experience moderate climate, whereas places in the interior experience extremes of climate.
3. Monsoon winds — During summer, the southwest monsoon winds blow onshore. They pick up moisture from the Arabian sea and give heavy rainfall. During winter, they blow offshore as dry northeast monsoons and do not give any rainfall.
4. Direction of the mountain ranges — The east west trend of Himalayas in South Asia, prevents the cold winds from Central Asia to enter the subcontinent in winter. They force the monsoon winds to shed their moisture in the south during the rainy season.
5. Ocean currents — The cold and warm ocean currents affect the climate of a region. For example, the cold Oyashio current, which comes from the north and washes the western coast of Japan, affects the climate of Japan by making it extremely cold, whereas the east coast of Japan is washed by the warm Kuroshio current that makes the winter milder.