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.
The most heavily populated islands in the inner chain of islands is Skye, which is home to nearly 10,000 people. Mull and Islay have much lower populations of only 2,800 and 3,228 people, respectively. The smallest of the Inner Hebridian islands is Rum, with a population of 22. There are two more islands, Tiree (pop. 653) and Eigg (pop. 83). The coastline is mainly fertile, low-lying pasture land known as machair.
The economies of the Inner Hebrides are based on small family businesses like fishing, crofting, tourism, and the distilling of whisky, especially on the islands of Jura, Mull, Skye and Islay. A croft is simply a small farm. Many crofters are tenant farmers who pay rent to the landowner, while many others own their farms outright.
As regards the Outer Hebrides, although they are often considered as one island, Harris and Lewis are separate islands connected by a thin isthmus. The population of Lewis and Harris is just over 21,000. There are a total of 15 islands in the Outer Hebrides, of which the four islands with the next largest populations to Lewis and Harris are Barraigh, Barbencula, North Uist, and South Uist. The remaining ten islands have population distributions between 10 and 300.
People in the Outer Hebrides make their living the same way as those on the inner islands, with the addition of weaving. The world-famous fabric, Harris tweed, is made here. Every aspect from start to finish, carding, dying, weaving, blending, warping, finishing and inspecting are all done on the islands.
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.
Three of Southeast Asia's most endangered species of animal come from the Sumatran rainforest. These include the Sumatran rhinoceros, rabbit and tiger. The biodiversity of the rainforest is explained by its geologic history. Up until 150 million years ago, Sumatra was part of Gondwanaland, one of three supercontinents. After Sumatra, along with Borne and Sulawesi, split from Gondwanaland, the mass of land drifted toward the north, until it banged into India some 70 million years ago and formed the Himalayan mountain range.
The most heavily populated islands in the inner chain of islands is Skye, which is home to nearly 10,000 people. Mull and Islay have much lower populations of only 2,800 and 3,228 people, respectively. The smallest of the Inner Hebridian islands is Rum, with a population of 22. There are two more islands, Tiree (pop. 653) and Eigg (pop. 83). The coastline is mainly fertile, low-lying pasture land known as machair.
The economies of the Inner Hebrides are based on small family businesses like fishing, crofting, tourism, and the distilling of whisky, especially on the islands of Jura, Mull, Skye and Islay. A croft is simply a small farm. Many crofters are tenant farmers who pay rent to the landowner, while many others own their farms outright.
As regards the Outer Hebrides, although they are often considered as one island, Harris and Lewis are separate islands connected by a thin isthmus. The population of Lewis and Harris is just over 21,000. There are a total of 15 islands in the Outer Hebrides, of which the four islands with the next largest populations to Lewis and Harris are Barraigh, Barbencula, North Uist, and South Uist. The remaining ten islands have population distributions between 10 and 300.
People in the Outer Hebrides make their living the same way as those on the inner islands, with the addition of weaving. The world-famous fabric, Harris tweed, is made here. Every aspect from start to finish, carding, dying, weaving, blending, warping, finishing and inspecting are all done on the islands.
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.
Three of Southeast Asia's most endangered species of animal come from the Sumatran rainforest. These include the Sumatran rhinoceros, rabbit and tiger. The biodiversity of the rainforest is explained by its geologic history. Up until 150 million years ago, Sumatra was part of Gondwanaland, one of three supercontinents. After Sumatra, along with Borne and Sulawesi, split from Gondwanaland, the mass of land drifted toward the north, until it banged into India some 70 million years ago and formed the Himalayan mountain range.
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