Learning Geography: Natural Components in a Territory

Every country in its territory has a different or similar aspects in the composition according to the factors (climate, weather, relief, borders, etc) which affect the landscape.

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Landscape

Landscape is the visual aspect of a territtorry related to the relief and the weather. There are many landscapes for a country. The most importants are: dessert, jungle, polar, forest, moutains, etc.

1) Desert

It is a territory composed by little vegetation and little animal life, where the temperature is hot; the weather is scorching and sunny and where there is not enough water and the rain is scarce even producing drought for many years. Its surface is dry for the animals which dwell there; such as coyotes, snakes, camels, scorpions, etc. and plants such as cactus, bushes, palms, etc. Also, the surface can be composed by dry soil and dry sand, making dunes or modifying its aspects. The main deserts of the world are in the next countries: Chile, Bolivia and Peru share the Atacama desert in South America; United States and Mexico share the Arizona, California and Chihuahua deserts in North America; Libya, Chad, Egypt, Sudan, Algeria, etc share the biggest desert of the world called "Sahara" which is located in Africa; China and Mongolia share the Gobi desert like Arabic countries do (Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, etc); And finally Australia which has the Great Victoria and Great Sandy deserts.

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Camel

Cactus

Dunes and Palms in the Sahara Desert

Atacama Desert in Chile

2) Jungle

Jungle is a territory composed by enough vegetation and enough wetness. The climate in this areas is generally tropical, where the weather can be sunny along with pouringrains, making a damp environment for animals and plants Also, in those places which are near the sea are produced phenomenon climatic such as hurricanes, monsoons, typhoons, etc .This area is special for those animals which live there such as: snakes, monkeys, insects, fish, corals, frogs, crocodiles, many types of birds, panthers, tigers, jaguars, tortoise, etc; and kinds of trees and plants such as: palms, rubber tree, bushes, kinds of spices for cooking (vanilla, pepper, cloves, curry, coffee), fruits (bananas, coconuts, mango, cocoa, avocados, etc) and seaweeds in the ocean. The countries which have this kind of environment are: India, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, etc in South Asia; Australia, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, etc. in Oceania; Cameroon, Ghana, Congo, Nigeria, Gabon in Africa; and Mexico, Central America and much of South America where is located the biggest jungle of the world called "Amazon".

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Hurricane

Amazon River

Tropical birds

Indian Jungle

Caribbean

3) Polar

Polar region is the further area of the Earth located near to the Poles. It is distinguished by the climate which is freezing and the temperature always bellows zero degrees Celsius; and the weather is chilly and it snows a lot. In this environment is common to see ice on sea, lakes and rivers, snow on anywhere like if the place was blotted out by a white shit. The animals and plants are more abundant in spring and summer, but in autumn and when the winter is coming they hide and disappear to rest during five or six months, it is called Wintering. Some animals from these regions are bears, foxes, birds, squirrels, salmons, wolves, pumas, penguins, etc. and plants such as: bushes, trees, nuts or even there is not vegetation. Some countries and places of this environment are: Alaska in United State and Canada in North America and Chile and Argentina in South America; Northern and Eastern Europe (Finland, Norway, Sweden, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, etc); Siberia in Russia, Northern China and Northern Japan in Asia; and other near places to the Poles such as Greenland, Iceland, Antarctic, etc.

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Alaska

Polar Bear in North Pole

Siberia

Emperor Penguins in Antarctic

4) Forest

Forest is the green area where exists huge numbers of tress, vegetation and animals. The climate is cold and temperated and the weather can change depeding of the season in those places. For example: in Autumn, the leaves of the tress fall down and the forest changes its aspect (green to red and brown), in Winter is common it rains a lot and even snows, but in in Spring the vegetation comes back and blooms and Summer can be pleasant. This kind of areas is located in places from North America (USA and Canada), far South in South America, Northern, Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia (Europe and Asia). There are a lot of species of tress such as pines, conifers, firs, etc; fungus such as: mushrooms, fly amanita (they can be enible or poisonous), etc; and species of animals and insects such as: beavers, raccons, rabbits, squirrels, foxes, bears, bees, wasps, butterflies, salmons, woodpeckers, moose, deer, etc.

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Yellowstone Park, in USA

Fly amanita

Forest in Canada

Squirrels

Deer

5) Mountains

Mountains are the highest areas of the earth. It is characterized by small population of people over them, although its diversity and ecosystem are attractive. This phenomenon is denominated "Alpine climate" or "Highland climate" and the climate is specially cold and wet, although sometimes it changes in relation to the Season. The weather in autumn and winter bellows zero degrees Celsius; so that it is cold and frozen, it rains and snows (sometimes producing avalanches) and there is strong wind. In spring and summer, the temperature goes up considerably, so that it can be scorching and hot. There is not much vegetation, some of them are bushes and trees, and there are animals, for example: birds such as: eagles, falcons, condors, vultures, etc; and mammals such as: goats, pumas, bears, etc. The places of the world which present this kind of area are: Rocky mountains and Alaska in North America, the Andes in South America; the Alps, Sierra Nevada, Ural Mountains in Europe (the last one together with Asia); the Himalayas, the Tibetan Plateau, Gansu and Qinghai in Asia; and the Eastern Highlands in Africa.

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