Temperature at the poles and the equator

Question:

Why is it hot at the equator and cold at the poles?

Answer:

It is to do with the angle of the sunlight at the equator and the poles. The Sun is never as high in the sky at the poles as it is at the equator and so the sunlight is spread over a larger area at the poles – this means that there is less energy per square metre and so the ground there is colder.