Geographical landscapes

A landscape represents physical elements of geographically defined landforms and it shows the physical features of a particular area. These features are the visible features such as lakes, mountains, cliffs, desert e.t.c. The word “landscape” is derived from the Dutch word “landschap” which translates to paintings of the countryside. Landscape paintings were very popular during Ancient Roman times and then again gained the popularity during Renaissance period in the North of Europe.

There are two categories of landscapes:

  • Natural landscape: These are the landscapes that have been in existence naturally such as mountains, hills, plateaus, plains e.t.c.
  • Cultural landscape: These landscapes have been modified by people. They have been made up by the people inhabiting the place, animals they domesticate, the buildings they construct and the vegetation they grow. 

Different types of landscapes are:

  • Mountains: Mountains are the landscapes that are formed due to the movement of tectonic plates towards each other on the Earth surface. It rises far above its surroundings exhibiting steep slopes and summit area. Mountains rarely occur individually and are most commonly found in chains or ranges or form ridges. 
  • Hills: This landscape extends above the terrain of the surroundings and it often comes with a distinct summit. In the U.K and the U.S, hills are defined as summits with a height of fewer than 1000 feet.
  • Cliffs: There are generally located around the sea. It is an area made of rock and mounted vertically along a coast, a river or in maintain areas.
  • Plateaus: Plateaus are also located at an elevated surface called the highlands. There are two types of plateaus: Volcanic plateau and dissected plateau. Dissected one is formed by sow collision of tectonic plates which cause upward movement of Earth’s crust and Volcanic plateau is formed due to small volcanic eruptions over a long period.
  • Plains: This landscape is flat and free from any kind of elevation. It is an area with gentle slopes and some relief on the Earth’s surface. The majority of the plains are formed due to soil erosion and its deposition. 
  • Basins: It is a shallow but broad trough and mostly shapes as bowls with higher sides than the bottom. There are three types of basins: river drainage basin, ocean basin and structural basin.
  • Wetlands: It is also a kind of ecosystem that is flooded by water for a season or sometimes permanently. The water in these wetlands are either brackish, saltwater or freshwater.
  • Valleys: Valleys lie between the elevated surfaces. It is a kind of depression on the surface of Earth generally drained by rivers. Valleys can occur on plains or between mountains and hills. Deep valleys that appear narrow are called gorges whereas deep valleys made by the movements of tectonic plates are called rift plateaus. 
  • Ocean: Ocean is a very huge water body made of saltwater and covers almost 71 % of the Earth’s surface. The Earth has five oceans: the Pacific, Indian, Atlantic, Southern and Arctic ocean.
  • Delta: A delta or river delta is created by the deposition of sediments that have been carried by the river. These occur in the areas where a river is entering an ocean, lake, sea, reservoir or estuary.
  • Coastal landscape: A coast is an area where land meets the sea or the sea meets the land. Natural forces of wind and waves shape these landscapes. Coastal landscapes include beaches, dunes, platforms, bays and lagoons.
  • Desert: A desert is defined as the area which receives less than 250 mm of precipitation per year. About one-third of Earth’s surface is covered by deserts and also consist of some of the inhabitable places on Earth. There are two types of deserts: Hot and cold deserts. For example, the Sahara desert is a hot desert and the Lahul Spiti area in India is a cold desert area.

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