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CALIFORNIA
The geologic history of California has produced a complex landscape with variations in topography and climate. Rocky or shallow soils have evergreen shrublands called chaparral. Oak woodlands occur where soils are deeper or moisture more available. Drier areas along the coastal and inland at the transition to deserts support coastal sage scrub. Read more >>
CENTRAL CHILE
Central Chile shares a similar terrain profile with California. Both have a coastal range of mountains, a broad central valley and a high mountain range to the east. A unique weather condition separating Chile from the other four regions is the rarity of lightening. The great height of the Andes in central Chile effectively shields this area from summer weather fronts moving westward Read more >>
SOUTHWESTERN AUSTRALIA
Southwestern Australia is an ancient and heavily weathered landscape with little topographic diversity. Soils are generally acidic and low in nutrients. Plant communities in drier areas are shrubby heathlands termed kwongan and low multi-stemmed eucalyptus woodlands called mallee. Similar heathland extends up the east coast of Australia on low nutrient soils Read more >>
MEDITERRANEAN BASIN
The Mediterranean Basin represents the largest area of mediterranean-climate in the world, and includes more than 20 nations distributed on both sides of the Mediterranean Sea. This region has complex topographic and climatic diversity. There are extensive woodlands dominated by both evergreen and deciduous species of oak and evergreen shrublands of diverse forms. Read more >>
SOUTH AFRICA
The Cape Region forms a small area on the southwestern tip of the African continent. This landscape has ancient mountain ranges that have weathered over millions of years into acidic sandy soils low in nutrients which are critical for plant growth. The Cape Region is renowned for its showy and diverse flora and is unlike that of any other area of the world. Read more >>
Mediterranean-type climates occur in only five regions of the world: California, Central Chile, the Mediterranean Basin, South Africa, and Southwestern Australia. These regions lie on the western edges of continents between 30° and 40° latitude. Their unique climate pattern is characterized by dry summers with little or no rain and mild wet winters.
Although the five Mediterranean-climate regions comprise only about 2% of the earth's land area, they account for 16% of the world's plant species. In particular, the Cape Region of South Africa and Southwestern Australia show remarkable levels of species richness considering their relatively small areas.
The geologic history of California has produced a complex landscape with variations in topography and climate. Rocky or shallow soils have evergreen shrublands called chaparral. Oak woodlands occur where soils are deeper or moisture more available. Drier areas along the coastal and inland at the transition to deserts support coastal sage scrub. Read more >>
CENTRAL CHILE
Central Chile shares a similar terrain profile with California. Both have a coastal range of mountains, a broad central valley and a high mountain range to the east. A unique weather condition separating Chile from the other four regions is the rarity of lightening. The great height of the Andes in central Chile effectively shields this area from summer weather fronts moving westward Read more >>
SOUTHWESTERN AUSTRALIA
Southwestern Australia is an ancient and heavily weathered landscape with little topographic diversity. Soils are generally acidic and low in nutrients. Plant communities in drier areas are shrubby heathlands termed kwongan and low multi-stemmed eucalyptus woodlands called mallee. Similar heathland extends up the east coast of Australia on low nutrient soils Read more >>
MEDITERRANEAN BASIN
The Mediterranean Basin represents the largest area of mediterranean-climate in the world, and includes more than 20 nations distributed on both sides of the Mediterranean Sea. This region has complex topographic and climatic diversity. There are extensive woodlands dominated by both evergreen and deciduous species of oak and evergreen shrublands of diverse forms. Read more >>
SOUTH AFRICA
The Cape Region forms a small area on the southwestern tip of the African continent. This landscape has ancient mountain ranges that have weathered over millions of years into acidic sandy soils low in nutrients which are critical for plant growth. The Cape Region is renowned for its showy and diverse flora and is unlike that of any other area of the world. Read more >>