вторник, 31 март 2015 г.

Jura Canada And Subalpine Mountain Ranges

By Iva Cannon


Situated off the northern coast of Scotland are two clusters of islands, or archipelagos. These are the Inner and Outer Hebrides. Among the inner chain of islands are Mull, Islay, Skye, Coll and Jura, which some people confuse with Jura Canada. Both chains of islands enjoy what has been described as a mild oceanic climate with warm summers, cool winters and no discernible dry season.

Skye, with around 10,000 people, has by far the largest population of the Inner Hebrides. The populations of Mull and Islay are 2,800 and 3,228, respectively. At the other extreme is Rum, which can claim only 22 people living there. Tiree has a population of 653 and Eigg, 83. Much of the coastline is described as a machair, low-lying topography suitable for pastureland.

The main commercial interests of the Inner Hebrides include whisky distilling, tourism, crofting and fishing. Crofting refers to farming a small area of land. The main whisky distilling islands are Islay, Skye, Mull and Jura. These islands are heavily dependent on micro-businesses and self-employment.

Lewis and Harris, considered a single island but actually two separate land masses connected by a tiny isthmus, has the most people. As of the 2010 census, there were almost 21,000 people living on the two islands. The four next-biggest islands in terms of population are North and South Uist, Barraigh and Barbencula. There are a total of 15 islands in the Outer Hebrides. Harris is very mountainous, but also contains some lovely sandy beaches.

Like the inner islands, people in the Outer Hebrides sustain themselves with small businesses, including weaving. The islands are best known for producing the famous Harris tweed. Every aspect of its production takes place here: carding, weaving, blending, warping, dying, inspecting and finishing.

The Jura Mountains, on the other hand, are a sub-alpine mountain range located in France, Switzerland and parts of Germany. The name comes from the Celtic word for forest. This particular mountain chain is known as a sub-alpine mountain range. The term sub-alpine refers to the biotic zone directly beneath the tree line, which, in Scotland, goes as low as 1,500 feet. Species of flora and fauna that flourish in sub-alpine zones vary with the location of the region.

The Sumatran Montane Rainforest is another example of a sub-alpine forest, only much, much higher up than the Jura Mountains. Here, in Southeast Asia, the tree line goes up to 15,000 feet. Some of the most impressive plant species dwell here, such as Amorphophallus titanum, the stalks of which grow up to two metres. The largest flowering plant in the world is also here, Rafflesia arnoldii, with blossoms a full metre in width.

The Sumatran rainforest harbors interesting animals, too, including three of the most endangered species on the planet: the Sumatran rhinoceros, tiger and rabbit. The geologic history of Sumatra is intriguing. Sumatra, Borneo and Sulawesi were part of the super-continent of Gondwanaland until 150 million years ago, when they split off. For 70 million years, this land mass drifted northward until it collided with India and formed the Himalayas.




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