NATURAL LANDSCAPE: CHARACTERISTICS, ELEMENTS, EXAMPLES - GEOGRAPHY - 2025

Natural landscape is called the spaces and territories that were not modified, altered or intervened by the action of man. Although they can be traveled by groups of people or tribes, they do not remain or inhabit there.

Despite this, there may be cases of natural landscapes occupied by natives. These are usually fishermen or gatherers whose intervention does not harm or transform the environment.

Natural landscape. Source: pixabay.com

At present, natural landscapes are close to total extinction. Modern human activity involves the systematic destruction of the ecosystem, in order to obtain natural resources for the manufacture of goods and / or services.

The concept of landscape refers to geographical sciences and takes as its main parameter, everything that vision or "the human eye" encompasses. In addition to this, the landscape also includes what cannot be appreciated with the naked eye, the events of the past in an ecosystem and its situation in the present.

Characteristics of the natural landscape

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In general terms, the natural landscape is classified into two large categories: the coastal and the interior. The natural coastal landscape is one that has its space near the sea, while the interior can be appreciated inland.

The history of geographical science and its study of landscape dates back to the mid-20th century. Although from that moment to the present new currents have emerged, until our ideas there is a general consensus about the qualities and main characteristics that make up the natural landscape. These are:

- The territorial space: without the existence of a physical surface extension, it is not possible for a landscape to develop. This refers to the basic notion of physical space.

- They contain complex or super-complex systems: systems are the different types of life (plant and animal) that make up and coexist in a landscape. The more interconnected these systems are, the more complex it will be.

- Complex formation: the science that studies landscapes understands that, for them to exist, the evolution and interaction of different organisms is necessary over a long period of time.

- Systematic organization: this is possible thanks to natural regulation structures that allow the coexistence, functioning and balance of the different types of lives that make up the landscape.

- Levels of exchange: flows of matter and / or energy between its flora and fauna, are essential to allow the sustainability of the natural landscape.

- Homogeneity: although it is inhabited by diverse species, in the natural landscape there are different taxonomies arranged hierarchically in a structural and harmonious way.

- Permanent change: without dynamics between species and their constant process of adaptation and evolution, the existence of the natural landscape is not possible.

- Polistructuralidad: it means that it is composed of different structures, whether they are hydrographic, biological or geographical.

Elements that compose it

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Regardless of the type of landscape, there are structures or natural forms necessary for its existence:

- Climate: it is the condition of the atmosphere that modifies the appearance and type of landscape. Temperatures, the solar radiation index, humidity or wind speed are some of the parameters that are considered when studying the type of climate.

- Area: is a specific space where the landscape is delimited, that is, where it begins and how far it extends.

- Relief: refers to the different types of terrain or geographical features that comprise the landscape (gulf, mountain, mountain range, fjords, etc.)

- Flora: refers to the type of vegetation or plant life that inhabits the landscape. Plants, grasslands, trees, shrubs are some of the elements that comprise it.

- Fauna: are those animals that make up the ecosystem of the natural landscape. Mammals, herbivores, insects, bacteria or birds, among others, make up the fauna.

- Water: this is the element that will determine the greater or lesser presence of plant and animal life, and of what type. The water can come from the sea, rivers, streams, etc.

- Soil: it is the terrain, the layer of the earth's crust that we humans see, on which the landscape is born and established. Depending on the type of soil, various species of flora and fauna can emerge and survive.

- Minerals: it is the inorganic matter found mostly in the soil, the product of thousands of years of decomposition of different materials. Some minerals are gold, silver or copper.

Examples of natural landscape

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There is a multiplicity of variants within the different types of natural landscapes, which all have in common the non-intervention (or at least without great impact), of man and civilization.

Deserts

Deserts are a type of landscape that is characterized by its arid climate with little or no access to water sources of any kind. With almost no rainfall and strong winds, deserts are particularly hostile environments for the development of fauna and flora.

Plains

Plains exist on slightly uneven, rather flat land surfaces, inland and usually in mountainous valleys or near mountain ranges.

They generally have a vegetation surface and type of climate favorable for agriculture, although there are also ice-covered plains such as the tundra at the North Pole, or infertile, such as the African Savannah.

Plateaus

Similar to the plain, the plateau is located at a higher altitude with respect to sea level (approximately 500 meters). They have fewer trees, but more grass-type vegetation. These are land surfaces of great antiquity that have been eroded by different elements, allowing their characteristic flat uniformity on the ground.

Forest

Forests are areas of land densely populated by plant species of all kinds, but predominantly by tall trees. This type of landscape usually houses the greatest diversity of flora and fauna. They are of vital importance for life on Earth, as they absorb polluting gases and generate oxygen.

Taiga

The taiga is a type of boreal forest that is found near the North Pole. These are vast expanses of land covered with trees where it snows most of the year. This landscape can be found in the northern United States, Canada, the Scandinavian countries, and Russia.

Tundra

The tundra is similar to the taiga but even colder. The vegetation is usually much lower in height and covered by grasslands of a few centimeters. Southern Patagonia, the Falkland Islands and some areas of northern Antarctica have this landscape.

Wetlands

Wetlands are common in tropical areas of South America, such as the Amazon in Brazil. The rainy seasons and environmental conditions make this a greenish river landscape where aquatic plants and animals can thrive.

Mountains and mountain ranges

They arise thanks to movements of the tectonic plates of the Earth. Generally high altitudes, they constitute cold and snowy environments. Some may even host active volcanoes.

Coasts

Coasts are the extensions of land that arise on the shores and surroundings of the seas and oceans. It is currently estimated that 44% of the world's population lives within a 150-kilometer radius near the sea.

Differences with the cultural landscape

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While the natural landscape is one where man has not intervened, the cultural landscape is, by definition, a combination of both. Currently there are cultural landscapes practically all over the planet, which on many occasions, constitute a threat to the natural landscape.

The cultural landscape is a construction made by a group of people or a civilization, based on a natural landscape. This has to have been created with a clear intention or purpose. Usually these are monuments of importance to a certain group.

Houses, neighborhoods, villages, towns, cities or buildings constitute cultural landscapes. The domination of the environment and its elements for the construction of spaces suitable and proper for human activity, is the main characteristic.

Types of cultural landscapes

The cultural landscape has to have a direct relationship and importance to specific human activities, be it education, commerce, or ritual or religious beliefs. Likewise, these can be classified into:

Urban landscape: these are highly populated spaces, with houses close to each other, streets covered with asphalt, tall buildings, where economic and commercial activities take place.

- Rural landscape: contrary to the urban landscape, here the houses are located far from each other, the population is smaller and the streets are usually dirt and less traveled.

- Archaeological landscape: these are spaces or settlements where the existence and development of ancient or extinct civilizations has been recorded.

- Industrial landscape: commonly called "industrial parks", they are large areas of land where different types of factories and industries are located, generally in sectors far from populated communities.

References

1. Trinca Fighera, D. (2006, June). Natural landscape, humanized landscape or simply landscape.
2. Serrano Cañadas, E. (2014). Natural landscapes.
3. Mateo Rodríguez, JM (2002). Geography of landscapes. First part: natural landscapes.
4. Myga-Piatek, U. Natural anthropogenic and cultural landscape an attempt to define mutual relations and the scope of notions.
5. Christensen, E. (sf). Natural landscapes. Recovered from ecstep.com