EG

Landscapes

The Earth’s Landscapes

  • A landscape is part of the Earth’s surface, consisting of a variety of geographical features that are characteristic of an area.

  • Landscapes are divided into two main categories:

    • Natural- mainly unaffected by human activity and are typical to particular areas of the world

    • Human- been created and modified by people.

  • A landform is a natural feature of the earth's surface. A landscape is an area containing a number of natural features.

Examples of Landscapes

Mountain Landscapes

  • Formed by tectonic plates on the Earth’s surface pushing against each other.

  • This movement and pressure causes change to the land

  • Land is pushed vertically over time, forming mountains, which can stand alone, in groups or form ridges.

Coastal Landscapes

  • The coast is where a land mass meets the sea

  • Coastal landscapes are shaped by wind and waves, eroding or constructing the natural environment, constantly changing its shape.

  • Features include beaches, dunes, bays, cliffs, platforms, spits and lagoons.

Riverine Landscapes

  • A riverine is a landscape formed by the natural movement of a water system.

  • A riverine landscape includes the ecosystems in and around the area of a river.

  • Excellent for agricultural uses such as farming as the land is rich and fertile.

Desert Landscapes

  • Arid desert- max 250mm rain

  • Semi-arid desert- 250-500mm

  • Hot deserts are around the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn

  • Cold deserts are located closer to arctic and Antarctic circles.

  • Due to lack of rain, they have little vegetation, and instead covered by sand dunes, rock and gravel.

Karst Landscapes

  • Karst landscapes are formed when easily dissolvable bedrock is worn away by slightly acidic water from an underground source on the Earth’s surface.

Human Landscapes

  • Human landscapes are created by humans and provide evidence of human settlement and occupation of an environment.

  • The construction of human landscapes often results in damage or destruction of natural landscapes, but also incorporate some natural geographical features in the design.

Earth’s Landforms

  • A landform is a specific shape or physical feature of the Earth’s surface which has been produced by a natural process (geomorphic processes).

  • Examples include:

    • Valleys

    • Cliffs

    • Beaches

    • Sand dunes

    • Plateaus

  • Geomorphic processes can include erosion, deposition, weathering and tectonic activity.