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Climate
Average weather conditions over an extended period of time. The climate, determined mostly by quantitative analyses of temperature and precipitation, helps predict patterns and variations in weather conditions, usually over at least a 30-year period. Climate can be used to understand what types of agriculture and livestock will flourish in different parts of the world. The three major climate groups are the low-latitude climates, which are characterized by tropical conditions; the midlatitude climates, which are best understood as climates affected by both tropical and polar air masses; and the high-latitude climates, which are those climates affected mostly by polar air masses.