What is a Temperate Zone?
A temperate zone is a region of the Earth located between either the Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle or the Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle. Furthermore, within these regions, an area is generally required to have between four to eight months out of the year at temperatures averaging more than 50° Fahrenheit (10° Celsius). Of course, there are plenty of areas within these enormous zones where the temperature requirement is not met, and these may or may not be considered part of the temperate zone, depending on the strictness of the definition used. Within the temperate zone there are two main classifications: the continental temperate zone and the oceanic temperate zone. The continental temperate zone is, in fact, not very temperate for much of the year. Eastern Europe, for example, largely falls within the continental temperate zone, and is marked by extremely cold winters. At the same time, the region experiences fairly hot winters, allowing it to meet the four mo
