martes, 7 de enero de 2014

UNIT 11: LANDSCAPES




As we studied last year, a landscape is everything we see around us.
Landscapes can be natural o man-made.


1.1.- Natural and man-made landscapes.

- Natural landscapes.
These are landscapes that have little human intervention. They have lots of natural elements. Some have an important ecological value like Sierra Nevada or Doñana and become protected nature reserves.

- Man-made lanscapes.
These are landscapes that are adapted or created by humans. They have lots of artificial elements.
Remember they can be rural and urban.
Rural landscapes can be villages, fields, farms, etc.
Urban landscapes can be cities, factories, airports, etc.

 
1.2.-Natural Features


The natural features that define a natural landscape are its relief, rivers, climate, soil, vegetation and fauna.

- Relief: This is the shape of the landforms, like the mountains and plains.

- Rivers: They are continuous currents of water. The water in lakes, ponds, seas and oceans also affect the landscapes.

- Climate: This is the atmospheric weather of an area over a period of time.

- Soil: It is the layer of ground where plants and animals live.

- Vegetation: It is the group of plants that grow in an area.

- Fauna: It is the group of animals that live in an area.

 
1.3.- The Soil

The soil is the layer (capa) of ground where most plants and animals live.
It is made up of inorganic materials like rocks or water, and organic materials, like fallen leaves (hojas caidas) or the remains (restos) of living things.

There are different types of soil:

- Granite soils (suelos graníticos):
They are made up of a rock called granite.

- Siliceous soils (suelos silíceos):
They are made up of slate (sílice).


- Clay soils (suelos arcillosos):
They are made up of clay (arcilla). They are very good for farming (cultivo) because they are very fertile.


- Limy soils (suelos calizos):
They are made up of limestone (cal). They are less fertile than clay soils.


- Sandy soils (suelos arenosos):
They are made up of sand. We can see this type of soil on beaches.

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