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Unit 1
Landforms & Landscapes
chapter
Landforms and
Landscapes
The Earth’s surface is made up of a vast number of elements that have been brought together to
create amazing shapes and formations. To study and understand all these formations, geographers
organise them into groups based on characteristics that are similar. These different groups are
referred to as landscapes. There are many different types of natural landscapes on Earth –
including mountain landscapes, coastal landscapes and riverine landscapes. Landscapes created by
people are called human landscapes. Natural landscapes are made up of a variety of geographical
features known as landforms such as hills, caves and valleys.
THE EARTH’S LANDSCAPES

What is a landscape?

A landscape is part of the Earth’s surface. It consists of a variety of geographical features

that are characteristic of an area. Landscapes are divided into two main categories –
natural and human. Natural landscapes (for example, mountains and deserts) are mainly
unaffected by human activity and are typical to particular areas of the world. Human
landscapes (for example, cities and farms) have been created and modified by people.
Human landscapes are sometimes also referred to as cultural landscapes. Some different
types of landscapes are described below.
 WORLD: EXAMPLES OF DIFFERENT LANDSCAPES

5 1 7
Karst Mountain Industry 2 Coastal areas
Arctic Circle

Tropic of Cancer

Equator

Tropic of Capricorn

0 1500 30

4 Desert Antarctic Circle

6 Tropical

rainforest
3 Riverine
 Mountain landscapes Coastal landscapes
Mountain landscapes are formed by tectonic The coast is where a land mass meets the sea.
plates on the Earth’s surface pushing against each Coastal landscapes are shaped by the natural
other. This movement and pressure causes the forces of the wind and waves. These geographical
shape of the land to change. The land is pushed up forces erode (wear away) or construct (build up)
in a vertical direction and over time forms the natural environment, constantly changing its
mountains. Mountains rise high above their shape. Features of coastal landscapes include
surroundings. Mountains can stand alone, be beaches, dunes, bays, cliffs, platforms, spits and
grouped in ranges, or form ridges. lagoons.

Source 2 The Himalayas in Asia are an example of a mountain landscape. Source 3 Peggy’s Cove in Nova Scotia, Canada, is an example of a coastal
landscape.
 Riverine landscapes Arid landscapes
A riverine is a landscape formed by the natural A desert is defined as an area of land which receives no
movement of a water system such as a river. A more than 25 millimetres of rain per year. Deserts
riverine landscape includes the ecosystems (all cover about one-third of the Earth’s surface and
living things including plants and animals) in contain some of the most uninhabitable regions on
and around the area of a river. A riverine may Earth. There are two types of deserts – hot deserts
and cold deserts. Hot deserts are located along the
also be defined as a network of rivers and the
tropics of Cancer and Capricorn (the latitude lines
surrounding land. Riverine landscapes are
to the north and south of the Equator). Cold deserts
excellent for agricultural uses such as farming are located closer to the Arctic and Antarctic Circles
because the land is rich and fertile. They are a (the circles of latitude in the far north and far south).
valuable resource for growing food. Because of the lack of rain they have little vegetation
(plant life). Instead deserts are characterised by sand
dunes, rock and gravel.

Source 4 The Wanganui River system in New Zealand is an example of a Source 5 The Sahara desert in North Africa is an example of an arid landscape.
riverine landscape.
 Karst landscapes Human landscapes
A karst landscape is formed when easily dissolvable Unlike the types of naturally occurring landscapes
bedrock (the rock below the surface of the land, such described above, human landscapes are created
as limestone) is worn away by slightly acidic water, by people. Human landscapes provide evidence of
from an underground source or a source human settlement and occupation of an
on the Earth’s surface. These flows of water form environment. Features of human landscapes include
unique features such as caves, stalactites, springs and elements of infrastructure such as buildings, roads,
sinkholes. Karst landscapes are extremely unstable
3 transport, energy, sewerage and telecommunication
areas of land. Sinkholes are formed when rock beneath
systems. The construction of human landscapes often
the Earth's surface has eroded away and sections of
results in the damage or destruction of natural landscapes
land on the surface collapse. Sinkholes can range in
but commonly incorporates some natural geographical
size from a few metres to over 1 kilometre deep and
features in its design, for example harbours and
have been known to occasionally collapse, swallowing
mountains.
up everything on the surface including cars and
4

buildings.

Source 6 The Skocjan Caves in Slovenia are an example of a Karst landscape. Source 7 The capital city of China, Beijing, is an example of a human landscape.
 The Earth’s A landform is a natural geographic feature or shape that
appears on the Earth’s surface. Large landforms include mountains,
landforms plains, and rivers while small landforms include hills and billabongs.
Landforms are shaped and created by a natural process, such as
tectonic plate movement and erosion. Natural landscapes are made
up of a variety of landforms. Often landforms are not unique to a single
mountain range
mountain landscape. For example, a hill can be found in many different
landscapes.
V-shaped
valley ridge
volcano
cirque
glacier
watershed

drainage basin
gorge

river headland island

waterfall cliff
stack

tributary floodplain meander

lake oxbow
lake bay archipelago
delta

estuary isthmus

wadi
oasis inselberg spit
mesa atoll
beach

hamada butte coral

desert dune reef
 VALUING LANDFORMS AND LANDSCAPES

Landforms and landscapes around the world are valued by many different people for
many different reasons. Some people may feel a deep personal connection to a particular
landscape, while others are more interested in the money that can be earned from it. The
value a person attaches to a particular landscape often depends on factors such as their
age, occupation, education, cultural background and experiences. In general, geographers
divide the ways
in which people value landforms and landscapes into four categories:
•cultural value
•aesthetic value
•.

•spiritual value
•economic value
Cultural value Spiritual value

 linked to the importance of landforms and  expressed through the concept of ‘Country’.
landscapes as expressed by people through
 Indigenous peoples believe that the myths of
creative means such as poetry, literature, art
their Dreamtime bind them to the land.
and films.
 They also believe that their ancestors live on
 shaped culture and identity.
through the land and ensure their continued
 Indigenous people express the importance connection with it.
of the land to them through Dreamtime
 Landscapes contain many sacred sites of
stories, song and dance, and their art.
spiritual importance.

Source 1 This poster for the film Australia reflects the colours of the Australian Source 2 Karlu Karlu (also known as The Devil's Marbles) is sacred to Indigenous
outback. It is an example of how the Australian landscape has cultural value. Australians. This is an example of how landforms can have spiritual value.
Aesthetic value Economic value

 It is closely linked to its beauty and  It is a measurement of how financially

uniqueness. important landscapes and landforms are.
 A place is always subjective (personal).  This is particularly relevant to the tourism and
 Being surrounded by the beauty of the primary sector/industries in every country.
landscape may give someone a sense of  Tourism, for example, wants regular visitors to
freedom, stability and wellbeing. its state because people who travel spend
 An individual might be drawn to a money on accommodation, transport, food,
particular landform because of its souvenirs and activities which provides income
overwhelming majesty, creating a personal for the tourism and hospitality industries
connection to that place.

Source 3 Unique and beautiful landscapes along the Australian coast are an
Source 4 Landscapes with high mineral and metal deposits are an example of
example of aesthetic value.
economic value.