Physical map of the World
Physical map of the World.
At the center of our world, the earth with a physical surface of approximately 510 million km², of which, 70.8%, or 361.13 million km², is below sea level and covered by water from the oceans. Below the surface of the oceans are much of the continental shelf, mountains, volcanoes, ocean trenches, submarine canyons, oceanic plateaus, abyssal plains and a system of ridges that covers the entire globe. The remaining 29.2%, or 148.94 million km², not covered by water has a terrain that varies greatly from one place to another and consists of mountains, deserts, plains, plateaus and other landforms. Most polar regions on Earth are covered with ice, including the Antarctic ice sheet and the sea ice of the Arctic ice pack.
Tectonics and erosion, volcanic eruptions, floods, weathering, glaciation, the growth of coral reefs and meteorite impacts are among the processes that constantly reform the surface of the Earth and, consequently, our own world through geological time.
This map is a composition of several images compiled on the websites of the CIA and NASA. Map 2007.
At the center of our world, the earth with a physical surface of approximately 510 million km², of which, 70.8%, or 361.13 million km², is below sea level and covered by water from the oceans. Below the surface of the oceans are much of the continental shelf, mountains, volcanoes, ocean trenches, submarine canyons, oceanic plateaus, abyssal plains and a system of ridges that covers the entire globe. The remaining 29.2%, or 148.94 million km², not covered by water has a terrain that varies greatly from one place to another and consists of mountains, deserts, plains, plateaus and other landforms. Most polar regions on Earth are covered with ice, including the Antarctic ice sheet and the sea ice of the Arctic ice pack.
Tectonics and erosion, volcanic eruptions, floods, weathering, glaciation, the growth of coral reefs and meteorite impacts are among the processes that constantly reform the surface of the Earth and, consequently, our own world through geological time.
This map is a composition of several images compiled on the websites of the CIA and NASA. Map 2007.
Weathering, water, elevation, sinking, and erosion of the soil are constantly shaping the surface of the Earth. It doesn?t really happen overnight but takes hundreds and thousands of years for us to notice these changes. Landforms can be categorized into Mountains, Plateaus, and Plains depending upon their elevation and slope. Let us look at them individually.
The most important mountains in the world:
- Everest, Nepal-Tibet ; Simply the largest and most important mountain in the world, with a peak that reaches 8848 m above sea level. It is located in the border zone between Nepal and Tibet of China, in the Himalayas. It was climbed to the top for the first time in 1953 and was named after the Welsh topographer and geographer in 1865, in charge of the topography of India between 1830 and 1843.
- K2, Pakistan-China ; With an elevation of 8611 m above sea level, on the border between Pakistan and China is the K2 mountain, also known as the wild mountain or Chogori and this is the second highest in the world. It was climbed for the first time in 1954, being known as the wild mountain due to the enormous difficulty that implies its ascent, as well as for having the second place in the statistics of accidents in climbed mountains.
- Kanchenjunga, India-Nepal ; Climbed for the first time in 1955 (like the Makalu mountain) this impressive mountain, on the edge of the Himalayas, in the region that limits India with Nepal, is about 8586 m high. It contains 5 huge snowy peaks that are commonly known as the 5 snow treasures. For the locals, these represent the 5 repositories of God: the gold, the silver, the gems, the grain and the sacred books. Three peaks are on the side that belongs to the territory of Nepal and two to India.
- Lhotse, Nepal ; In the same region and again in the lands of Nepal, we find Lhotse, another of the most imposing mountains in the world. It has an approximate height of 8516 m above sea level and was climbed for the first time one year after the Makalu mountain, which we have just seen, in 1956. It is connected by a complex mountain pass with Everest to the south and is located in the Khumbu region, on the border with Chinese Tibet.
- Makalu, Nepal-Tibet ; With a height of more than 8480 m, this mountain was climbed for the first time in 1955 and is one of the highest and most important mountains in the world. It is the fifth highest mountain that exists and is located about 20 km south of Mount Everest, on the border between Nepal and China, where is the largest of all.
Examples of Plateaus in the World:
- The Tibet Plateau , located north of the Himalayas, at an altitude of over 4000 m.
- The Andean Altiplano a large area at more than 3000 m altitude, east of the Andes.
- The Puna of Atacama more than 100 000 km² at more than 3000 m s. n. m. corresponding to part of Argentina and Chile (it is separated from the Andean Altiplano proper by an orographic knot of the Andes mountain range).
Examples of Plains in the World:
- The Great Plains is a high and wide plateau that extends east of the Rocky Mountains, on the American continent, and covers the Mexican state of Coahuila, the states of New Mexico , Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota and North Dakota in the United States. In Canada, they extend through the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
- The Great European Plain is a plain of Europe, it is the largest mountain-free geographical feature on the continent. It extends from the juncture of the Pyrenees and the Atlantic, to the west, to the Urals, to the east.
- Siberian Plain , which covers the entire northern area of Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east.
- Manchurian Plain , which extends to Korea, irrigated by the Amur River.
- Central Plain or Zhongyuan, irrigated by the Yellow or Hoang Ho and Yang Tse Kiang rivers in China.
- Indo-Gangetic Plain in North India.
The oceans:
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The Oceans are classified into three large ones: Atlantic, Indian and Pacific; and two minors: Arctic and Antarctic, partially delimited by the shape of the continents and archipelagos.
Los océanos Pacífico y Atlántico a menudo se distinguen en el Norte y el Sur, dependiendo de si se encuentran en el Hemisferio Norte o en el Sur: Atlántico Norte y Atlántico Sur, Pacífico Norte y Pacífico Sur.