What is the Chaparral Biome?
Warm, mild winters, hot, dry summers, and a little rain characterize the chaparral biome. Shrubland, or chaparral, doesn’t cover much of the planet’s surface, but this coastal biome is created when cooler seawater meets a landmass with high average temperatures. Chaparral lies 30-40 degrees above and below the Equator, beyond the tropics. In the north lies the “chaparral” of coastal California and Baja, and “maquis” around the Mediterranean Sea. In the south we find the “matorral” of Chile, “fynbos” of southern South Africa, and the westernmost coast of Australia’s “mallee.” The landscape can vary from furrowed valleys and plains to rolling hills and rocky mountains.
