Geochores ( Greek gé "the earth" and ''chora'' "area") are relatively large landscape areas with similar – but owing to their size not fully uniform – characteristics. They therefore consist of a tapestry of smaller

landscape unit A natural region (landscape unit) is a basic geographic unit. Usually, it is a region which is distinguished by its common natural features of geography, geology, and climate. From the ecological point of view, the naturally occurring flora and ...

s, which can be hierarchically grouped: *

Physiotope Physiotope is the total abiotic matrix of habitat present within any certain ecotope. The physiotope is the landform, the rocks and the soils, the climate and the hydrology, and the geologic processes which marshalled all these resources together in ...

s or geotopes form the base unit (''tope'' from the Greek, τόπος, "place"). These are objects whose features are assessed as homogenous and which cannot sensibly be subdivided into smaller landscapes. Their area depends on the distribution pattern of their features and on the purpose or aim of the classification, but in general they are between 0.1 and 5 hectares in area. * Nanogeochores or nanochores are the simplest level of physiotopes. **Example: Ameisenberg near

Oybin Oybin ( hsb, Ojbin) is a municipality in the Görlitz district, in Saxony, Germany, located very close to the border of the Czech Republic. Following the defeat of the Protestant armies by the Habsburgs in the Battle of the White Mountain in ...

is part of the Oybin Rock Region (microgeochore) * Microgeochores are small scale landscape units with an average area of 12 km². In terms of biotopes or woodland or agricultural land which is managed in a certain way, they form a tapestry of nanogeochores. They cover areas which are similar mainly in terms of their geological origins, rocks, topographical elevation or

relief energy Terrain or relief (also topographical relief) involves the vertical and horizontal dimensions of land surface. The term bathymetry is used to describe underwater relief, while hypsometry studies terrain relative to sea level. The Latin wor ...

. They are a good example of the how geological and topographical history affects the resulting landscape structure. **Example: Hochwald Ridge and Oybin Rock Region * Mesogeochores are simply formations and groups of microgeochores. Their association is based on similarities of climate, topography such as mountains, valleys and hills or associated features from the Pleistocene (ice age). They are oriented towards the management and relative size of the microgeochores of which they comprise. **Example: Zittau Mountains or Zittau Basin * Macrogeochores or major landscapes - as natural region major units - are simply groupings of mesogeochores, whose cohesiveness is based e.g. on geological foundations, on climatic conditions or vegetation (e. g. hpnV). They are "regional" in size. **Example: Lusatian Mountains or Upper

Lusatian Highlands The Lusatian Highlands''Upper Lusatia''
at www.silvaportal.info. Accessed on 10 July 20 ...

Literature

* Haase, G. and K. Mannsfeld (eds., 2002): Naturraumeinheiten, Landschaftsfunktionen und Leitbilder am Beispiel von Sachsen (= Forschungen zur Deutschen Landeskunde 250). - Flensburg. {{ISBN, 3-88143-072-5 Ecosystems