What are the astronomical climate zones and physical climate zones?

Climate zones are climate classification units that are roughly parallel to the latitudinal circle and distributed in a continuous strip around the earth. They are the largest climate regional units on the earth. Climatic zones are distributed in a certain order from low latitudes to high latitudes. The division of climate zones is determined by the most basic climate-forming factor - solar radiation. Ancient Greek Aristotle once divided the earth's climate into five climate zones based on the Tropics of Cancer and the North and South Poles, namely: the tropics, the north temperate zone, the south temperate zone, the north frigid zone, and the south frigid zone. It is called astronomical climate zone or mathematical climate zone. This ancient method of dividing climate zones is only based on the height of the sun and the length of day and night, so it is also called a solar climate zone.

According to the solar climate zones, the area of ??each climate zone accounts for the percentage of the total area of ??the entire earth: the tropics account for 40%, the temperate zone accounts for 52%, and the cold zone accounts for 8%.

The temperate zone is located in the middle latitudes, with a large temperature gradient between the north and the south, and a huge difference in climate. The temperate zone occupies such a large area, which is very inconsistent with the actual climate distribution. Therefore, the temperate zone is generally divided into three zones: subtropical zone, temperate zone and cold temperate zone. The equatorial calm zone is a zone where air converges. In addition to high temperatures throughout the year, it also rains throughout the year. The climate and plants are significantly different from other areas in the tropics. Moreover, the tropical area is also too large, so the equatorial climate is also classified from the tropics. The tropics only include the area between the equatorial climate zone and the Tropic of Cancer. In this way, the climate zones on the earth include: equatorial zone, tropical zone, subtropical zone, temperate zone, cold temperate zone and frigid zone.

Because the earth's surface is actually not uniform, and the distribution of sea and land, topography and ocean currents all affect the climate, there are no generally recognized boundaries for each of the above-mentioned sub-zones. In fact, the isotherms are not completely parallel to the latitude circles. The climate zones divided by the regression line and the polar circle are very different from the actual climate, especially in high latitudes. However, this method is simple and can roughly reflect the climate. The distribution of biological phenomena on the earth, so it is still used by people today.