2. 2 Landscape zones in the world

3. 2.1 Life in the Amazon Tropical rainforests  The Amazon region in South America consists of dense, impenetrable, tropical forests. These forests are located in the tropics, on both sides of the equator. It is always hot there and there is a lot of precipitation. The trees and plants grow in layers at different heights. So it is always quite dark in the forest. Many different species of plants, trees and animals live there: the biodiversity is high.

4. 2.1 Life in the Amazon Deforestation  One fifth of the Brazilian rainforest has disappeared since 1970 because of deforestation. Reasons for deforestation: - uneven population distribution - extraction of natural resources (gold, uranium, rubber, wood) - road building - large-scale agriculture

5. 2.1 Life in the Amazon Sustainable use  The forests are the home of the native population, the Indians. The biodiversity is huge. Some species are still undiscovered. Sustainable management is important in order to conserve the forest. Forests can be sustainably managed if only a few trees are felled and young trees are allowed to grow. This is called reforestation. New pieces of forest are also planted.

6. 2.2 Life in a dry region: Mali Mali: a poor and dry country  Mali is in Africa and is a very poor country. It is 33 x as big as the Netherlands. It consists of steppe and desert, because it is so dry there. There are grasses and shrubs in the steppe, but in the desert the only vegetation is at oases. An oasis is a place where there is water.  It is a bit wetter in the south: this is where savannah is found with grasses, shrubs and clusters of trees.

7. 2.2 Life in a dry region: Mali Surviving in dry regions  People who live in dry regions have to deal with water shortages. Nomads are people with no permanent home. They go from place to place with their livestock. Very few livestock per hectare: extensive livestock farming. At oases people make fields by applying irrigation.

8. 2.2 Life in a dry region: Mali The Sahel: a vulnerable region  The Sahel is in the region between the savannah in the south and the desert in the north. Precipitation in the Sahel is very unpredictable. There is often a risk of famine. A lot of food is needed for the fast-growing population. So the farmers allow too much livestock to graze in small areas. This is called overgrazing which can cause desertification. Then there is no more vegetation to stabilize the soil.

9. 2.3 Inuit in Greenland Kalaallit Nunaat  Inuit means ‘people’ or ‘a people’. They were called Eskimos in the past. They live along the coast of Alaska, Northern Canada and Greenland. They survive by hunting seals, polar bears, reindeer and whales. Previously, they travelled around in kayaks and sleighs, but now they also have snow scooters and cars.

10. 2.3 Inuit in Greenland Tundra  Greenland has a cold climate. The average temperature is never higher than 10 º C. So there are no trees. Inuit live north of the tree line, in the tundra. Moss, grasses and shrubs grow here. The tundra is covered in ice and snow for 9 months of the year. The upper layer of soil melts in summer. The layer beneath is always frozen: permafrost. The meltwater cannot sink into the soil in summer. So it is very marshy then.

11. 2.3 Inuit in Greenland Snow and ice  It never thaws in the middle of Greenland. The layer of perpetual snow is pressed into land ice of more than 3 km thick. Sea ice forms on the sea. Frozen sea water is also called pack ice. Pieces break off in summer. We call these icebergs drift ice.

12. 2.4 Habitation in the world Climate and landscape zones  Weather and climate are two different things. Weather is what is happening in the atmosphere at a specific place and time. Climate is the average weather in a large area during a period of 30 or 40 years. Landscape zones are characterized by the vegetation that grows there. The vegetation is dependent on precipitation and temperature. A diagram of the average temperature (red line) and the average precipitation (blue bars) is called a climate chart.

13. 2.4 Habitation in the world

14. Population distribution in China  The population is spread unevenly across the Earth’s surface. There are also big differences in China. Most of the Chinese live in big cities in the east of the country. Places where lots of people live together are called: population concentrations. The west of China is sparsely populated. It is very dry (Gobi Desert) and cold there (Himalayas) and there is a lot of relief.

15. 2.4 Habitation in the world Habitation in landscape zones  There are also differences in population distribution globally because of natural conditions. Regions are sparsely populated because they are too high, too dry, too cold or infertile. Regions are densely populated if they get enough precipitation and it is not too cold. Billions of people live in deciduous forest areas in the temperate zone. Most of the original vegetation has disappeared and has been replaced by arable land: fields and meadows.