Oeschinen Lake in the Swiss Alps, an example of a highly diversified landscape.

Landscape photograph of Tolima Colombia

Landscape comprises the visible features of an area of land, including physical elements such as landforms, living elements of flora and fauna, abstract elements like lighting and weather conditions, and human elements like human activity and the built environment.

[edit] Etymology

The word landscape comes from the Dutch word landschap, from land (directly equivalent to the English word land) also the suffix -schap, corresponding to the English suffix "-ship".

Landscape, first recorded in 1598, was borrowed as a painters' term from Dutch during the 16th century, when Dutch artists were on the verge of becoming masters of the landscape art genre. The Dutch word landschap had earlier meant simply 'region, tract of land' but had acquired the artistic sense, which it brought over into English, of 'a picture depicting scenery on land'.

[edit] See also

Look up landscape in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Cultural landscape
• Geomorphology
• Hardscape
• Landscape architecture
• Landscape ecology
• Landscape design
• Landscape history
• Landscaping
• Natural landscape
• Softscape

[edit] References

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