The Köppen Climate Classifications are the standard incriments by which geographers and climatologists classify the climate of a particular part of the world. The Köppen system organizes climates into easy-to-read labels of two or three letters.

Major Category

The major division is indicated by the first letter, which is usually in capital letters. It classifies the atmospheric quality of the region, the latitude, and the temperature range. There are five major categories: Majuscules or capital letters (in the Roman alphabet: A, B, C, ...) are one type of case in a writing system. ...

A: Humid Tropical Climates

B: Arid/Semi-Arid Climates

C: Humid Mid-Latitude/Subtropical Climates

D: Humid Mid-Latitude/Continental Climates

E: Polar Climates

Secondary Category

The second letter is the minor category, which identifies landscape and seasonal precipitation it is typically presented in lowercase letters:

f: forested, areas that receive evenly distributed annual precipitation; when paired with an E, indicates a polar ice cap climate

w: dry-winter; areas that experience a dry season during the winter months; when paired with a B, indicates a true desert climate

s: dry-summer; areas that experience a dry season during the summer months; when paired with a B, indicates a semi-arid/steppe climate

t: tundra; indicates a landscape of treeless frozen scrubland

m: monsoon; indicates a pattern of precipitation with a 3-month dry period and a 9-month period of continuous precipitation

Tropical (A) Climates

• Af: the Rainy Tropical Climate ranges from 15-20° north and south of the equator. Average monthly temperatures are above 64°F, and annual precipitation is greater than 48 inches. The monthly average temperatures in this zone differ by less than 5°, and the monthly precipitation totals differ by less than 3 inches.

Locales with a Rainy Tropical Af climate include: The equator is an imaginary circle drawn around a planet (or other astronomical object) at a distance halfway between the poles. ...

• Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• Havana, Cuba
• Lagos, Nigeria
• Darwin, Australia
• Manaus, Brazil

• Aw: the Tropical Savanna Climate ranges the same general area as the Af does, with the same temperature characteristics, but experiences a wet summer season and a dry winter season. Trade winds are common during the cooler dry season, and a heat spell marks the onset of the wet season. Monthyl precipitation totals very by more than 3 inches.

Locales with a Tropical Savanna Aw climate include: Mayor Datuk Ruslin Hasan District Kuala Lumpur District Area  - Total (City) 243. ... Havana (Spanish: San Cristóbal de La Habana; UN/LOCODE: Habana (CU HAV)) is the capital of Cuba and, with a population of 2. ... Map of Nigeria showing Lagos on the lower left Lagos is the largest city in Nigeria. ... The word Darwin, when used alone, has several possible meanings in the English language. ... Manaus as seen from a NASA satellite image, surrounded by the rivers. ... Summer is a season, defined by convention in meteorology as the whole months of June, July, and August, in the Northern hemisphere, and the whole months of December, January, and February, in the Southern hemisphere. ... In many parts of the world, winter is associated with snow. ... The trade winds are a pattern of wind found in bands around Earths equatorial region. ...

• Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
• Miami, Florida, USA
• Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
• Hong Kong, China

• Am: the Tropical Monsoon Climate lies in the same temperature range as the Af, and Aw, but experiences a long rainy season, lasting 7-9 months, with intense precipitation and a short dry season with virtually no rainfall.

Locales with a Tropical Monsoon climate include: Ipanema beach, in the South Zone, immortalised by Tom Jobim and Vinicius de Morais song The Girl from Ipanema Cristo Redentor, the famous Christ the Redeemer statue at the top of the Corcovado mountain A NASA satellite image of Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro (meaning River of January in... This article is about the city in Florida. ... State nickname: Sunshine State Official languages English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Governor Jeb Bush (R) Senators Bill Nelson (D) Mel Martinez (R) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 22nd 170,451 km² 17. ... Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the state of Queensland, Australia. ... Motto: Audax at Fidelis (Bold but Faithful) Nickname: Sunshine State/Smart State Other Australian states and territories Capital Brisbane Government Governor Premier Const. ...

• Calcutta, India
• Rangoon, Burma
• Belem, Brazil
• Manila, Phillipines
• Darwin, Australia

This article is on Calcutta/Kolkata, the city. ... Yangôn, formerly Rangoon, population 4,504,000 (2001), is the capital of Myanmar. ... Bel m is a city in the nothern part of Brazil. ... Manilas President Manuel Roxas Boulevard also known as the Baywalk Manila (Filipino: Maynila) is the capital of the Philippines. ... The Republic of the Philippines is an island nation consisting of an archipelago of 7,107 islands, lying in the tropical western Pacific Ocean about 100 kilometers southeast of mainland Asia. ... The word Darwin, when used alone, has several possible meanings in the English language. ...

Dry (B) Climates

Bw: the True Desert Climate encompasses the 12% of the Earth's surface that receives less than 10 inches of precipitation annually. The two subtypes of this climate are the Tropical/Subtropical Desert (BWh) which lie at lower latitudes and have average temperatures above 60°F, and the Continental Desert (BWk) which lie mid-latitude and experience more extreme temperatures. A dune in the Egyptian desert In geography, a desert is a landscape form or region that receives little precipitation - less than 250 mm per year. ...

Locales with a True Desert Bw climate include:

• Cairo, Egypt
• Phoenix, Arizona, USA
• Alice Springs, Australia
• Atacama, Chile
• Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Bs: the Semi Desert/Steppe Climate covers 14% of the planet's surface, and includes semiarid grasslands and gravel plains. The two subtypes of this climate are the Subtropical Steppe (BSh) which often lie at the outer border of true deserts, and the Continental Steppe (BSk) which lie midlatitude and experience seasonal temperature extremes. Steppe climates are not as dry as true deserts, receiving 10-25 inches of annual precipitation, but they are generally too dry to support any type of large forested areas. Although technically in Giza, The Great Pyramids have become a symbol of Cairo internationally Cairo (Arabic: القاهرة; transliterated: al-Qāhirah) is the capital city of Egypt (and previously the United Arab Republic) and has a metropolitan area population of approximately 15. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... State nickname: The Grand Canyon State, The Copper State Official languages English Capital Phoenix Largest city Phoenix Governor Janet Napolitano (D) Senators John McCain (R) Jon Kyl (R) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 6th 295,254 km² 0. ... Alice Springs on a large scale map Alice Springs is a large town in the Northern Territory of Australia located at 23°42′ S 133°52′ E. Its population of 28,178 (2001 Census) makes it the second-largest settlement in the Territory (the only other towns of significant size... Atacama The Atacama desert of Chile is a virtually rainless plateau made up of salt basins (salares), sand, and lava flows, extending from the Andes mountains to the Pacific Ocean. ... Riyadh from space, April 1994 Ministry of the Interior Faisaliah Centre King Fahad Int. ... A steppe in Western Kazakhstan in early spring In physical geography, a steppe (from Russian step) is a plain without trees (apart from those near rivers and lakes); it is similar to a prairie, although a prairie is generally considered as being dominated by tall grasses, while short grasses are...

Locales with a Steppe Bs climate include:

• Almaty,Kazakhstan
• Denver, Colorado, USA
• Harare, Zimbabwe
• Ankara, Turkey
• Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Landsat satellite photo of Almaty Almaty (Алматы; formerly known as Alma-Ata, also Verny, Vyernyi (Верный) in Imperial Russia) is the biggest city in Kazakhstan, with a population of over 1,300,000 (9% of the population of Kazakhstan) citizens. ... This article refers to the state capital of Colorado. ... State nickname: The Centennial State Official languages English Capital Denver Largest city Denver Governor Bill Owens (R) Senators Wayne Allard (R) Ken Salazar (D) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 8th 269,837 km² 0. ... Harare (formerly Salisbury), estimated population 5,480,645 (2004), is the capital of Zimbabwe. ... Ankara from the Atakule Tower, looking N-NE. Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the countrys second largest city after Ä°stanbul. ... Motto: Unum Cum Virtute Multorum (One With the Strength of Many) Area: 465. ... Motto: Gloriosus et Liber (Latin: Glorious and free) Official languages English Capital Winnipeg Largest city Winnipeg Lieutenant-Governor John Harvard Premier Gary Doer (NDP) Parliamentary representation  - House seat  - Senate seats 14 6 Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 8th 647,797 km² 14. ...

Mid Latitude Moist (C) Climates

Cfa: the Humid Subtropical Climate ranges from 15-40° north and south of the equator and under 2000 ft in elevation. Humid Subtropical climates experience hot, humid summers, mild, moist winters, and more than 40 inches of annual precipitation that is evenly distributed around the calendar. The equator is an imaginary circle drawn around a planet (or other astronomical object) at a distance halfway between the poles. ...

Locales with a Humid Subtropical Cfa climate include:

• Montevideo, Uruguay
• Washington, DC, USA
• Sydney, Australia
• Hiroshima, Japan
• Dallas, Texas, USA

Cfb: the Marine Westcoast Climate occurs almost exclusively on the western coasts of large continental landmasses and islands that lie midlatitude amidst cool ocean currents. It is characterised by cool to moderate temperatures year round, variable trade winds, and high precipitation (over 50 inches annually) that is evenly distributed (although some Cfb locales may experience a small dry period in the summer months.) Montevideo Independence Plaza Independence Plaza, c. ... Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, DC. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the United... Sydney, the Emerald City, is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian state of New South Wales, as well as Australias largest and oldest city (founded in 1788). ... Main keep of Hiroshima Castle The city of Hiroshima (広島市; -shi) is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chugoku region of western Honshu, the largest of Japans islands. ... Dallas redirects here. ... ...

Locales with a Marine Westcoast Cfb climate include:

• Seattle, Washington, USA
• Concepción, Chile
• Wellington, New Zealand
• London, United Kingdom
• Durban, South Africa