The maritime and continental climate differ mostly in temperature. Maritime climate has fewer changes in temperature while in a continental climate the temperature greatly fluctuates. In the maritime climate, summers can be not scorching and winters not too cold. A continental climate, on the other hand, has summers that can be very hot and winters are freezing.

The reason behind this is maritime climates are located near bodies of water like rivers or seas. Bodies of water can retain heat during winters and can give cool air during summers. Continental climates can be found far away from bodies of water hence extreme temperature are experienced. That is why a country that is near a body of water does not experience scorching summers and snows on winters.

In a maritime climate, the temperature variation is not that great. For continental climate, the temperature varies so greatly that it will tend to fluctuate at times. The answer to this question is B. Maritime refers to a coastal climate while continental climate refers to the climate of continents interior. Countries that usually have maritime climate are those who are near the ocean.

People who are living near the ocean sometimes experience a tropical climate. The countries who are far from the ocean usually experience continental climate. Take note that the main difference of these two types of climates is the temperature change. There are some countries that also experience semi-continental climate.

Maritime climate or oceanic climate includes cool summers and winters. Temperatures may vary slightly in these places but not greatly. Some of the countries that have a maritime climate include countries usually located near an ocean. Some of these are England, New Zealand and parts of Spain. In a continental climate, the winters are very chilly and the summers are very hot.

This climate can be seen mostly in the northern hemisphere. Continental climates are found in Quebec City, West Virginia, Argentina, Finland, Italy and Iran, to name a few. Therefore, the greatest difference between these two climates is the temperatures. The maritime seems to have a steady temperature throughout the year whereas a continental climate changes from one extreme to the other.