Spanish Landscapes: Climate, Relief, and Human Impact
Ocean Landscape (North)
- Area: North of the Peninsula, Cantabrian Mountains and Galicia.
- Relief: Mountains and short, uneven surfaces.
- Climate: Frequent precipitation, low temperatures, thermal influence of the sea.
- Water: Short rivers originating in mountains near the sea, regular flow.
- Vegetation: Deciduous forests (beech and oak), scrub (heather, gorse, broom), abundant meadows.
- Soil: Siliceous (brown earth, rich in humus), limestone (brown limestone soil).
Mediterranean Landscape (South)
- Area: South of the Peninsula, Balearic Islands, Ceuta, and Melilla.
- Relief: Peninsula (plateau surrounded by mountains), Balearic Islands (mountains and depressions), Ceuta (rough terrain), Melilla (plateaus and hills).
- Climate: Low to moderate precipitation, summer droughts, thermal influence on the coast and interior.
- Water: Irregular rivers with summer droughts, streams and aquifers.
- Vegetation: Evergreen forests (holm oak, cork oak), maquis, garrigue, steppe, herbs, and thorny shrubs.
- Soil: Siliceous (poor brown soil), calcareous (red soil), clay (vertisols), steppe climate (subdesert gray soil).
Mountain Landscape
- Area: Land above 1000m altitude.
- Relief: Steep slopes.
- Climate: Annual rainfall and average temperatures.
- Water: Maximum flow in spring (thaw), minimum in winter (snow), nival and nivo-rain systems.
- Vegetation: Pyrenees (oaks, holm oaks, conifers, meadows), other mountains (typical forests, brushwood, meadows).
- Soil: Siliceous (rankers, brown soils), limestone (rendzinas, brown limestone soil).
Canary Islands Landscape
- Area: Located in the Atlantic.
- Relief: Volcanic (cones, calderas, lava fields).
- Climate: Low and erratic rainfall, warm temperatures year-round.
- Water: Very low and erratic (streams and rivers).
- Vegetation: High endemism, relict species, flat areas.
- Soil: Volcanic, poorly evolved, ash allows cereal cultivation.
Human Activity and the Environment
Environment
Conditions where living factors interact.
Sustainable Development
Economic growth that is environmentally friendly, preserving natural resources for future generations.
Deforestation
Causes:
- Use of forest area for agriculture, livestock, industry, and urban development.
- Fires, increased summer temperatures, and droughts.
Implications:
- Extinction of plant and animal species.
- Global climate change.
Pollution
Causes:
- Industrial and urban discharges (chemical fertilizers).
- Erosion, deforestation, grazing, and inadequate agriculture.
Results:
- Desertification or loss of topsoil fertility.
Urban Solid Waste
Causes:
- Waste with many contaminants.
Implications:
- Periphery becomes a landfill, contaminating water, soil, landscape, and life forms.