Climate, Mediterranean

Mediterranean climates are named after the type of climate along the Mediterranean coast in southern Europe, northern Africa, and the Middle East. However, Mediterranean climates also exist outside of this region in the coastal locations of southern Australia, western South Africa, coastal Chile, and California. Major world cities located in Mediterranean climates include Los Angeles, Rome, Santiago (Chile), Jerusalem, Cape Town (South Africa), and Adelaide (Australia). These climates are defined by relatively mild temperatures year-round, dry summers, and wet winters. Mediterranean climates are usually adjacent to the earth's subtropical deserts and come under the same influence of semi-permanent high pressure zones located over the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans. During the summer, the high-pressure zones that keep the earth's subtropical deserts dry also keep the ...