Chapter 2: Water, Climate, and Vegetation

Water covers about 70 percent of the earth's surface. The earth's water is continually moving though the processes of evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection. Together these steps are known as the water cycle. In order to survive humans need freshwater, but the vast majority of the water on Earth is the saltwater found in the oceans.

Climate is the usual pattern of weather in an area over a long period of time. A combination of factors creates climate. Wind and ocean currents, the sun, latitude, and elevation all contribute to climate. People's actions can also affect climate. The burning of fossil fuels and the destruction of the rainforest are human actions that are causing concern.

Geographers divide the world into different climate zones. Each zone shares common characteristics and has particular kinds of vegetation. The five major climate zones are tropical, mid-latitude, high latitude, dry, and highland.