Units 5 and 6: Natural Landscapes around the World.

World Climate zones

Unit 5.
2. Natural Landscapes in cold climates. 2.1. Perpetual Ice (Polar Desert) It is found in Polar areas and there is no vegetation because temperatures are normally below 0 C (zero centigrade degrees) and the soil is permanently covered by a thick layer of ice. There are animals like seals, whales and penguins. 2.2. The Tundra. It is found in the areas with sub-polar climate, in the north of America, Europe and Asia. The vegetation is formed by lichens and moss. There are animals like the arctic rabbit, the arctic fox and reindeers. 2.3 The Taiga forest. It is found in the wetter areas with sub-polar climate. The coniferous forest is abundant. There are animals like squirrels, rabbits, wolves, different birds and mountain goats. 2.4 High Mountain Landscape (Alpine Landscape) It is found at higher altitudes than 2,500 metres above the sea level. The vegetation depends on the altitude. Below 3,000 metres, we find coniferous forests and the rain is abundant. Above this altitude we find lichens and moss. The fauna also depends on the altitude.

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3. Natural Landscapes in hot areas. 3.1 Equatorial rainforest. It is found in the equatorial area, at both sides of the Equator. Temperatures are very high along the year and precipitations are very abundant: this is why the vegetation is very exuberant. The fauna is very rich and varied with different species of monkeys, jaguars and a lot of insects and reptiles. Half of the species on the Earth live here. 3.2. Tropical rainforest or jungle. It is found in the humid tropical zones where there are monsoons with a very rainy season. The vegetation is abundant, although less varied than in the equatorial rainforest. There are animals like monkeys, tigers and different birds. 3.3 The savannah. It is found in the humid tropical areas although there is usually a long dry season. It is characterized by a vegetation of grass, shrubbery and little trees. There are herbivores like giraffes, zebras or elephants and carnivores like lions or leopards. 3.4 Grasslands and The Hot Dry Steppe. It is found in the dry tropical areas, particularly in Africa, where there is a very brief rainy season. The vegetation is formed by plants with hard leaves and thorns, adapted to drought, like cactus. The fauna is not varied. There are bisons and little herbivores. 3.5 Hot desert. Next to the two tropics we have very dry areas, the hot deserts. There is very little precipitation and, because of that, there are no plants or only plants that have adapted to its dry, although we can find oasis with big trees like palms. The fauna is formed by little animals like scorpions and snakes.

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Key:

Natural Landscapes in Spain.

Questions:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Unit 6. (Study the names of the different landscapes in Spain)

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Oceanic Landscape Continental Landscape Alpine Landscape Sub-tropical Landscape Semi-Desert Landscape Mediterranean Landscape

What are the landscapes in the cold areas? What are the landscapes in the hot areas? What are the landscapes in Spain? What are the differences between the equatorial rainforest and the tropical jungle? What type of vegetation and fauna do we find in every cold landscape? What type of vegetation and fauna do we find in every hot landscape? What are the most humid and the driest landscapes in the hot areas?

1. The landscapes in cold areas are the polar desert, the tundra, the taiga forest and the alpine landscape. 2. The landscapes in hot areas are the equatorial rainforest, the tropical jungle, the savannah, the dry hot steppe and the hot desert. 3. The landscapes in Spain are the oceanic landscape, the continental landscape, the Mediterranean landscape, the alpine landscape, the sub-tropical landscape and the semi-desert landscape. 4. The differences between them is that in the equatorial rainforest the vegetation and fauna is very exuberant and varied while in the tropical jungle they are less varied. 5. Polar desert: there is no vegetation and there are animals like seals, whales and penguins. Tundra: the vegetation is formed by lichens and moss and there are animals like the arctic rabbit and fox or reindeers. Taiga: there are coniferous forests and there are animals like squirrels, rabbits, wolves Alpine landscape: the vegetation and fauna depend on the altitude. 6. Equatorial rainforest: very exuberant vegetation and very rich and varied fauna. Animals like monkeys, jaguars and a lot of insects and reptiles. Tropical jungle: the vegetation and fauna is less varied than in the equatorial rainforest. There are animals like monkeys, tigers and different birds. The savannah: the vegetation is formed by grass, shrubbery and little trees. There are animals like giraffes, zebras, elephants, lions, leopards The hot steppe: there are plants with hard leaves and thorns like cactus. There are animals like bisons and little herbivores. The hot deserts: the vegetation is almost inexistent and there are little animals like scorpions and snakes. 7. The most humid landscapes in the hot areas are the equatorial rainforest, the tropical jungle and the savannah. The driest landscapes are the dry hot steppe and the hot desert.