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Four climactic types prevail in France. A true temperate maritime climate is found in the west, near the
coasts, and is exemplified at BREST, where winters are mild (7 deg C/45 deg F in January), summers are
cool (16 deg C/61 deg F in July), and rainfall is frequent (800 mm/32 in) during 180 days of the year. A
mid-latitude continental climate prevails in the interior of the country, with hotter summers (average
July temperature of 18 deg C/64 deg F in PARIS) and more rigorous winters (average January temperature of
2 deg C/36 deg F in Paris), and rain falls on fewer days of the year.
A mountain climate prevails at high elevations, where temperatures are influenced mainly by altitude, and
winters are generally bitterly cold and prolonged. Precipitation increases with elevation and occurs in the
form of snow in winter, many villages in the high valleys receiving more than 50 days of snow each year.
Briancon, in the Alps, has a mean temperature of -2 deg C (28 deg F) in January, and 17 deg C
(63 deg F) in July; annual precipitation averages 587 mm (23 in).
A Mediterranean type of climate is found in a zone about 20 to 60 km (12 to 35 mi) wide along the
Mediterranean coast. It is characterized by hot, dry summers, mild and humid winters, and a small
number of rainy days during the year. In MARSEILLE, 550 mm (22 in) of rain falls during 60 days of the
year, and the sun shines for more than 3,000 hours each year. The average temperature is 7 deg C
(45 deg F) in January and 23 deg C (73 deg F) in July.
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