Get reliable science

The total natural and cultural environment within which production takes place; a broader term than soil. In addition to soil, its attributes include other physical conditions, such as mineral deposits, climate, and water supply; location in relation to centers of commerce, populations, and other land; the size of the individual tracts or holdings; and existing plant cover, works of improvement, and the like. Some use the term loosely in other senses; as defined above but without the economic or cultural criteria; especially in the expression "natural land"; as a synonym for "soil"; for the solid surface of the earth; and also for earthly surface formations, especially in geomorphological expression "land form."