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A weather forecast is helpful for many people whose work is affected by the
weather.
For example, a farmer may want to know about the temperature at the time of
sowing seeds. Weather forecast also warns people about storms, heavy rainfall
and bad weather condition of a region.
Climate
The weather conditions of a place throughout the year is called its climate. Climate,
therefore, is the usual weather of a place over a long period of time. A place that
gets little or no rainfall over many years will have dry climate, e.g., Jaisalmer in
Rajasthan. A place that stays cold for most of the year will have a cold climate, e.g.,
Ladakh. The weather of a place may change daily, but the climate of a place may
not change for a hundreds of years.
The climate of a place influences the lifestyle of people living there. The clothes
they wear, the food they eat, the types of houses they build, and the crops they
grow largely depend on the climate of the place. For example, people in Tamil
Nadu wear loose cotton clothes because of the hot and humid climate. Meghalaya
receives heavy rainfall every year. Due to this reason, the roofs of houses in
Meghalaya have slopes so that rainwater does not stand on roofs. However, in
Rajasthan, which receives very little rainfall, houses have flat roof so that they can
collect rainwater.
Climate of India
India as a country has the tropical monsoon climate. Different factor have given
India its unique climate. Let us read more about some of the factors.
Distance from the sea: Places located near the sea are neither too hot nor too cold,
whereas places that one away from the sea have an extreme type of climate—very
hot in summer and very cold in winter. For example, Goa is neither too hot nor too
cold so throughout the year, whereas Delhi is very hot
during summer and very cold in winter.
Attitude of a place: Places that are located at higher
attitude such as hill stations in the Himalayas
experience colder climate then the other parts of the
country.
Social Studies-4 49
