Question

In which of the following countries do we find a warm to hot and dry summer and a mild but moderately wet winter?
A) Japan
B) Sri Lanka
C) U.S.A.
D) Namibia

Answer 1

Hint: Climate refers to the long-term average of weather over a period of 30 years. It's the average and variability of meteorological variables over timescales ranging from months to millions of years, to put it another way. Temperature, humidity, air pressure, wind, and precipitation are some of the meteorological variables that are regularly measured.

Complete answer:
Hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Csa): Because this subtype of the Mediterranean climate (Csa) is the most prevalent, it is also referred to as a "typical Mediterranean climate." This type of Mediterranean climate has average monthly temperatures of over 22.0 °C (71.6 °F) in the warmest month and an average of between 18 and 3 °C or, in some cases, between 18 and 0 °C in the coldest month. Summers in this type of Mediterranean climate are often hot, occasionally extremely hot and dry, with warm, wet winters.

Let us look at the given options:
A) Japan: This option is incorrect because Japan's climate is mostly moderate; however it varies widely from north to south. Hokkaido, in the far north, has a humid continental climate with lengthy, cold winters and hot to cool summers. Although the islands do not receive much precipitation, deep snowbanks are common in the winter.

B) Sri Lanka: This option is incorrect because the climate in Japan is mainly temperate, however it varies greatly from north to south. The humid continental climate of Hokkaido, located in the far north, features long, frigid winters and hot to cool summers. Despite the lack of precipitation on the islands, deep snowbanks are frequent in the winter.

C) U.S.A: This is the correct option. With significant exceptions, the climate in the United States of America (USA) is temperate. Much of the United States has a cold semi-arid climate in the interior upper western states (Idaho to the Dakotas), transitioning to warm to the hot desert and semi-arid climates in the southwestern United States west of 100°W. East of 100°W, the climate is humid continental in northern parts.

D) Namibia: This option is incorrect because Namibia has a subtropical desert climate with large temperature changes between day and night, limited rainfall, and low humidity.

Thus, the correct answer is Option C) U.S.A.

Note: The Mediterranean Sea, southwestern Australia, southwestern South Africa, regions of Central Asia, northern Iran and Iraq, the interior of northern California west of the Sierra Nevada, and inland areas of southern Oregon west of the Cascade Mountains all have Mediterranean climates.