Natural complexes and the world’s population

Rocks, relief, climate, waters, soil, plants and animals are the natural components. Linked together, they form distinctive territories — natural complexes (landscapes). The largest natural complex is the geographic envelope, followed by continents and oceans, which divide into regions, physical-geographic districts and natural zones. A natural zone is a large complex with its own climate, soil, plants and animals; its name usually comes from the plant cover (taiga, steppe, desert). For example, along the 70° E meridian in the temperate zone, from north to south, coniferous forest (taiga), mixed forest, broad-leaved forest, forest-steppe, steppe, semi-desert and desert succeed one another; within a zone, natural zones change from the ocean coast inland as moisture decreases. In mountains, natural complexes change from foot to summit (altitudinal belts); the nearer a mountain is to the equator and the higher it is, the more belts it has. In the World Ocean, 11 natural belts are distinguished by temperature, salinity and currents. Complexes changed by humans are called anthropogenic landscapes (fields, cities).