How does the climate affect our food, clothing, housing and transportation?

Climate, food, clothes, housing and transportation

The influence of climate touches every aspect of human life. People's clothes are closely related to the climate. Residents in high latitudes hunt fur animals and peel off thick and warm fur to make warm clothes. It is enough for residents living in areas where winter is long and summer is dry. Some primitive tribes are almost naked. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has a large daily difference, so Tibetan compatriots have created a unique way of dressing: it is very cold at night, and Tibetans wrap their fur coats to keep out the cold; During the day, when the sun is strong and the weather is warm, people untie fur coats, wear only one sleeve, or even throw away two sleeves and tie them around their waists.

Food processing and cooking methods are also affected by climate factors. Different crops are planted under different climatic conditions. The south of China is a humid area, and rice is the main food crop, so southerners like to eat rice. The north is a semi-humid and semi-arid area, wheat is the main food crop, and northerners like to eat pasta. The residents in the northwest and Qinghai-Tibet Plateau climate areas are mainly animal husbandry, and mutton and beef have become staple foods.

People spend most of their lives in houses. Building buildings suitable for local climatic conditions and creating a good indoor working and rest environment have become an important aspect for human beings to adapt to and utilize climatic conditions. The summer in southern China is long and hot, with tall and spacious houses and good ventilation and heat dissipation conditions. The winter in the north is long and cold, with short and compact houses, high sealing degree and good heating effect; The inhabitants of the Loess Plateau often call caves their homes, because the soil is a poor heat conductor, and the temperature changes little, so it has the special advantage of being warm in winter and cool in summer. Rural houses in Oceania and Western Samoa are only surrounded by loose circles and have wide coconut leaves on the top, which is convenient for ventilation and heat dissipation. Inuit living in the Arctic Circle can build houses with snow blocks. This semi-spherical igloo has only a small door, and fur is hung on four walls to prevent heat dissipation, but the roof in the arid area of northwest China is mainly flat, which is convenient for drying things.

There is a saying in ancient China that the means of transportation is "south by boat and north by horse". Due to abundant rainfall and dense rivers and lakes in the south, transportation mainly depends on ships. In the arid north, it is mainly transported by horses and chariots. In arid desert areas, camels are called "ships in the desert". Today, modern means of transportation are also limited by climate and weather. The construction of roads and railways should not be built in areas where floods often occur. Airports should not be built in foggy places, and ships should pay close attention to the weather forecast when sailing at sea.