Landscapes
- A landscape comprises of all the visible features of an area of land
- This includes physical features and human features
- A landscape with more physical features, such as mountains or forest, is described a as natural landscape
- A landscape with more human features, such as towns or cities, is described as a built landscape
UK Landscapes
- The UK has a varied physical landscape as the relief of the land changes in various parts of the country
- Relief refers to the way landscapes change in height
- Upland areas are high above sea level
- These are mostly found in the north and west of the UK
- They are generally formed of harder rocks such as slate and granite
- The land is often steep
- The climate tends to be cooler and wetter
- The harsh climate and thin soils allow rough vegetation to thrive, and some upland areas are used for forestry
- Land uses include sheep farming, quarrying and tourism
- Found in
- Scotland – The Northwest Highlands, Grampian Mountains, Southern Uplands
- England – The Pennines, Lake District, Dartmoor
- Wales – The Brecon Beacons, Snowdonia
- Lowland areas are not very high above sea level
- These are mostly found in the south and east of the UK
- They are generally formed of softer rock such as chalk and clay
- The land is often flat with rolling hills
- Vegetation grows easily in the fertile soil and includes grassy meadows and deciduous forests
- Land uses include dairy and arable farming, quarrying and tourism
- Most urban areas and industries are in lowland areas
- Found in Lincolnshire, The Fens in East Anglia, Midlands, London Basin, Vale of York
- Glaciated landscapes are formed from where ice covered the land in the ice age and left valleys and deposited material
- They are mostly found in upland areas and in the north-west of the UK
- In upland Britain, glaciation carved huge, U-shaped valleys and eroded down steep mountain peaks and ridges
- In non-glaciated lowland areas, periglacial conditions during the ice age formed V-shaped valleys as the water eroded the chalk permafrost
