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temperate zone

temperate zone

2 3.8
Areas of Earth between the hot tropics and the cold polar regions that have mild weather
  • noun
  • /ˈtɛmpərɪt zoʊn/
translation icon : zona templada
  • The temperate zone experiences four distinct seasons, including winter, spring, summer, and fall.

Examples

  • Sugar beets have the advantage of growing throughout the temperate zone, closer to the demand.

    Blog text (5)
  • Deserts in the temperate zones are usually located inland, far away from the oceans.

    Blog text (29)
  • But scientists have also found important genetic resources in the temperate zone.

    Academic text (1996)
  • In fact, you can find them in backyards, empty lots, and fields... ...throughout the temperate zones of the world.

  • An obvious obstacle is that we are in the temperate zone while they are in the tropics.

    Blog text (21)
  • The region is located in a warm temperate zone with a continental monsoon climate and an annual precipitation of 697 mm.

    Academic text (2014)
  • As the world warms, diseases once restricted to the tropics spread into temperate zones.

    Blog text (24)
  • In temperate zones, most grain crops are planted as annuals because they are not cold tolerant.

    Academic text (1997)
  • In southeastern Iceland, some 4,500 feet above sea level, lies Vatnajökull—the largest temperate-zone ice cap in Europe.

    Academic text (2002)
  • Many species of birds migrate to the temperate zone during the winter months.

Synonyms

midlatitude
vstemperate zone
1 5.2

A region between the tropics and the poles with a moderate climate

is the same region expressed by an alternative term

How Cold

subpolar
7.4
temperate zone
2 3.8
subtropical
7 4.6

Surface Forms

Morphology

temperate + zone

The meaning 'a region with mild or moderate climate' is directly and predictably derived from combining 'temperate' (mild, non-extreme weather) with 'zone' (a region). This adjective + noun composition is transparent and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Temperate zone comes from the idea of a place between hot and cold regions. The word temperate suggests 'moderate' and zone means an area on Earth, so this middle area has mild weather rather than extreme heat or cold. That's why temperate zone means regions with 'mild' or 'moderate' climate.