Well, there’s no Gulf Stream hitting the continent, so it’s not quite as warm as Western European countries at equivalent latitudes. Grand Shayard and Osterport are at a similar latitude to Houston, Basra, or Cairo, with the kind of climate those comparisons suggest.
The land around the capital is hot and dry, becoming properly arid as you move toward the Ward. Almost all agriculture down there is irrigated, off the River Serdre and its tributaries. Lots of flax and sugarcane grown around there as well as wheat.
The peninsular Southriding which juts out between Grand Shayard and Corlune (districts: Martier, Leurs, and Bragat-Laconne, which like the Outer Rim is an underpopulated wilderness) is pretty Spain-like, relatively arid, with limited capacity for rainfed agriculture.
Corlune is at a similar latitude to Charleston, S.C., and Rim Square to Nashville. They get a lot more rain and less brutally intense sun. By the time you get up to the northern limits of Shayard in Veldrin or the Aveche Coast, you’re at the latitude of Genoa, or Maine in the US. In between, there’s a whole lot of scope for rainfed farming.
Karagon and southern Nyryal are in the rain shadow of the Wiendish peaks and the hill country of the Reach. They’re a dry, cold steppe, not a hot desert. Aekos is at the same latitude as…Ayagoz. Or Minot, N.D.
ADAT: We crossed the 100 post mark on day two of the WIP thread, thanks to extended discussion by (among others) the newly arrived @P_Tigras. While the Tiger has taken lengthy hiatuses through the years, he’s always come back not just to the forums but to XoR, and his probing questions and suggestions (especially his consistent advocacy for a non-caricatured, non-dichotomous version of nationalism in the game) have made the game much better. Thanks, @P_Tigras!
(Don’t worry, I won’t be doing this daily. Not every day had an ADAT-worthy arrival or topic.)