land
Sign in to savethumb|upright=1.3|Land between bodies of water at Point Reyes National Seashore, California|alt=A grassy isthmus running between two bodies of water
AI overview
Land is the solid ground that makes up Earth's surface, including soil, rock, and terrain. It matters because it's where humans live, grow food, build communities, and interact with nature.
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Article
36 sectionsContents
- Definition
- Etymology
- Physical science
- Formation
- Landmasses
- Terrain
- Geomorphology
- Climate
- Features
- Coasts and islands
- Mountains and plateaus
- Plains and valleys
- Caves and craters
- Layers
- Land cover
- Soil
- Continental crust
- Life science
- Land biomes
- Fauna and flora<!-- should likely split this, following [[Sea]], into "Plants and vegetation", and "animals and terrestrial life" --><!--Agreed this can be expanded and then split into more sections-->
- Humans and land
- Culture
- Travel<!-- Focuses on the present day: migration, refugees, tourism. -->
- Trade<!-- A first paragraph should likely give an overview of the subject; then history as second paragraph, then present day as third paragraph (no need for subsections for each) -->
- Land use
- Law<!-- ATM this is really western-biased (and Anglosphere biased at that.) Include conceptions of land ownership from historical and non-western societies. -->
- Geopolitics
- Environmental issues
- Soil degradation
- Pollution
- Biodiversity loss
- Resource depletion
- Gallery
- See also
- Notes
- References
thumb|upright=1.3|Land between bodies of water at Point Reyes National Seashore, California|alt=A grassy isthmus running between two bodies of water
Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of Earth not submerged by the ocean or another body of water. It makes up 29.2% of Earth's surface and includes all continents and islands. Earth's land surface is almost entirely covered by regolith, a layer of rock, soil, and minerals that forms the outer part of the crust. Land plays an important role in Earth's climate system, being involved in the carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle, and water cycle. One-third of land is covered in trees, another third is used for agriculture, and one-tenth is covered in permanent snow and glaciers. The remainder consists of desert, savannah, and prairie.