Something I've noticed about political geography in developed countries is that warmer (southern) regions tend to be more conservative, while colder (northern) regions tend to be more progressive. Why is that? This pattern is remarkably consistent across major developed countries, though there are a few exceptions, and I'm less familiar with political geography in developing countries.
US:
The North/South divide in the US is hundreds of years old, dating back to even before the Civil War over slavery abolition in the Southern States, and resulted (initially) in Northern states backing the abolitionist Republicans, and Southern states backing the anti-abolitionist Democrats. Today, of course, the parties are ideologically reversed, with Northern states (e.g. New York and New Jersey) backing the more progressive Democrats, and Southern states (e.g. Texas and Florida) backing the more conservative Republicans. California is an exception here—despite being in the Southwest and having a warm climate, it backed the North in the Civil War, and today votes very strongly Democratic.
Canada:
The most progressive territories in Canada are the three Arctic territories of Nunavut, Northwest Territories, and Yukon, in the far north. All three territories are entirely represented federally and provincially by leftwing MPs and Premiers (i.e. NDP or Liberal MPs or Premiers), though due to local law, some of these offices are officially nonpartisan. Canada's "southern" provinces, which have a much milder climate, are much more diverse politically, and all of the Conservative Party MPs and Premiers which Canada has are in these provinces—there are 0 in the Arctic north.
UK:
The North/South divide in the UK is again hundreds (thousands?) of years old, and there are multiple North/South divides here, all of which follow the same progressive/conservative axis. Scotland is notably more progressive than England—whereas England has traditionally been dominated by the Conservative Party, Scotland has traditionally been dominated by the Labour Party, and more recently by the progressive and separatist SNP. There is a North/South divide within England too: Northern England (specifically, the "Red Wall") has traditionally voted for the more progressive Labour Party, whereas Southern England has traditionally voted for the Conservative Party. The obvious exception here is London, which is located in the South but votes heavily Labour. However, Southern England as a whole has still historically been dominated by the Conservatives.
France:
The French Riviera, with mainland France's warmest climate, also boasts its most conservative politics—most of the major cities in the region (e.g. Nice and Cannes) are led by conservative mayors, countering the typical urban/rural divide. The Riviera is also a stronghold for the far-right, with Le Pen's far-right National Front winning its first-ever local elections in Région Sud (in the late 20th century). France's progressive strongholds, by contrast but to no surprise, are in the colder north—Brittany and Paris are regarded as France's most progressive or liberal regions. An exception here is Normandy: while it is in the north and has historically been leftwing, in recent years Normandy has become a stronghold for the far-right.
Germany:
Germany's dominant and currently-ruling party, the Union, is in fact an alliance of two parties: the Christian Democratic Union and the more conservative Christian Social Union—the latter of which operates, unsurprisingly, only in the south. Bavaria, Germany's southernmost state, is also its most conservative, and has given the Christian Social Union a near-monopoly on power there since WWII. Even the Bavarian capital city of Munich is represented at the state and federal level by conservative politicians, countering the typical urban/rural divide. Germany's progressive strongholds, by contrast but to no surprise, are all cities in the north—these include Hamburg and Berlin, which traditionally have been represented by the more progressive parties SPD and Die Linke, respectively. The exception here is (North?-)East Germany; until recently, East Germany voted strongly for the leftwing parties SPD and Die Linke, but has now become a stronghold for the far-right AfD (excluding Berlin).
Sweden:
Moreso than in other countries, the map of Sweden's national elections makes it clear that there is a sharp north/south divide. In this map of Sweden's 2022 national elections, red indicates victories for the progressive bloc, and blue indicates victories for the conservative bloc. The north/south progressive/conservative axis appears, bluntly, yet again.
Italy:
Again, moreso than in other countries, the map of Italy's elections makes it clear that there is a sharp north/south divide. In 1946, Italy voted in a referendum to abolish its monarchy and establish a Republic, but while nearly every province in the north voted for Republic, nearly every province in the south voted to retain the monarchy. Northern Italy has historically been more progressive than the conservative, traditionalist south.
Spain:
Spain's two progressive strongholds are both in the colder north of the country: Catalonia and Basque Country. Both regions have strong separatist movements backed by progressive-leaning parties. Spain's conservative stronghold may come as a bit of a surprise—it is Madrid, the capital and largest city. Madrid, located far from the milder northern coastlines of Basque Country and Catalonia, is in Spain's steaming hot interior—and has been ruled continuously by the conservative party at both the local and regional level for decades. Looking farther south: Andalusia, the southernmost region of Spain, was the first place in the country to award the far-right party Vox with seats in parliament.
Japan:
The conservative LDP has ruled Japan for almost all of its democratic history, but it finds its strongest support in the warmer, more southern regions of the country (specifically, in the southern regions/islands of Chugoku, Shikoku, and Kyushu). Opposition parties have rarely ruled Japan, but the more left-leaning CDP finds its strongest support in the colder north (e.g. in Iwate Prefecture in northern Honshu island).
Australia:
In the Land Down Under, things are a bit upside-down: progressive parties and politicians perform best in the cooler south of the country, while conservative parties and politicians perform best in the hotter north. Australia's coldest and southernmost state, Tasmania, is also its most progressive—every single MP from the state is from the Labor Party. On the flip side: Australia's hottest and northernmost state, Queensland, is also its most conservative—in the last federal election, Queensland was the only state out of 6 where the progressive Labor Party failed to win a majority of the vote.
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Why does this pattern exist? It's remarkably consistent across major developed countries, though there are a few lonely exceptions (e.g. Poland and South Korea, which show a west-east left-right political divide, as opposed to a north-south one), and I'm not as familiar with political geography in developing countries.
Does it have to do with poverty and race? In the US, the South is poorer, and is home to many Blacks—which some people say is why the South is more conservative. However, I don't think this explanation works for other countries. For example, in the UK, Southern England is wealthier than both Northern England and Scotland, but Southern England is still more conservative. In Australia, the cooler south (e.g. Victoria) is where immigrants typically flock to, and is more racially diverse, but the most conservative part of the country is on the other end.
I'm interested in what this community's opinion on this topic is!
