 His view is that people living in very warm countries are "too hot-tempered", while those in northern countries are "icy" or "stiff".The climate of middle Europe is therefore optimal.On this point, Montesquieu may well have been influenced by a similar pronouncement in "The Histories" of Herodotus, where he makes a distinction between the "ideal" temperate climate of Greece as opposed to the overly cold climate of Scythia and the overly warm climate of Egypt.