Biomes are land regions inhabited by certain types of life. They are characterized by natural, undisturbed plant life.
Plant life in a region is governed by precipitation. Precipitation determines if the land is a desert, grassland, or forest.
Annual climate determines if the land is tropical, temperate, or polar. Climate is the average long-term weather of an area and is determined by both temperature and precipitation.
Climate and plant life varies with latitude (the distance from the equator) and altitude (the elevation above sea level).
Deserts are areas where evaporation exceeds precipitation and includes:
- Tropical deserts
- Temperate deserts
- Polar (cold) deserts
Grasslands have an annual precipitation which allows grass, but no trees and includes:
- Tropical grasslands (savannas)
- Temperate grasslands
- Polar grasslands (arctic tundra)
Forests have moderate to high annual precipitation and includes:
- Tropical rain forests
- Tropical deciduous forests
- Tropical scrub forests
- Temperate deciduous forest
- Evergreen coniferous forest (taiga or boreal forest)
