State the chief characteristics of the Mediterranean type of climate.

As the Mediterranean region lies between the Tropical Deserts on the equatorward side and Cool Temperate West Margin region on the poleward side, it shares the summer drought conditions of the deserts at lower latitudes and rain in winter.

The chief characteristics of the Mediterranean type of climate are-

Temperature —

1. Mean summer temperatures range between 20°C and 28°C.
2. In the hottest month the temperature may touch a maximum of 30°C.
3. Areas close to the oceans experience a lower temperature.
4. In winter, mean January temperature may be from 6°C to 10°C. The temperature at night, in winter, may fall below 0°C.
5. In the Mediterranean region, considerable East-West extent of the sea allows the westerly influence of winds to penetrate deep into the Afro-Asian landmass.
6. On account of the local conditions and indented coastline, many local variations of the winds are produced. The Westerlies and the temperate cyclones travel from west to east and bring rainfall in decreasing order.
7. In addition, cold Polar winds in winter are also sometimes drawn into the circulation of depressions like Mistral in the Rhone valley and Bora in the northern Adriatic Sea region. They cause great devastation.
8. Southern winds like Sirocco in North Africa are hot and dry. They cause considerable damage to crops.

Rainfall —

1. The rainfall in the Mediterranean region is experienced mostly in winter.
2. The annual average rainfall varies between 35 cm to 75 cm.
3. Rainfall is more on the Poleward sides of the region. The effect of this moderate rainfall is marked.

Seasons —

The deciduous type of vegetation and abundance of flowering plants indicate that there are four climate seasons- Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn.