A land utilization type is a kind of land use described or defined in a degree of detail greater than that of A major kind of land use. In detailed or quantitative land​ ...Contents-Previous-NextChapter2:Basicconcepts2.1General2.2Land2.3Landuse2.4Landcharacteristics,landqualitiesanddiagnosticcriteria2.5Requirementsandlimitations2.6Landimprovements2.7Landsuitabilityandlandcapability2.1GeneralCertainconceptsanddefinitionsareneededasabasisforthesubsequentdiscussion.Theseconcernthelanditself,kindsoflanduse,landcharacteristicsandqualities,andimprovementsmadetoland.Forthesakeofclarity,somedefinitionsaregiveninthetextinsimplifiedform.FormaldefinitionsoftermsusedinaspecializedsensearegivenintheGlossary.2.2LandLandcomprisesthephysicalenvironment,includingclimate,relief,soils,hydrologyandvegetation,totheextentthattheseinfluencepotentialforlanduse.Itincludestheresultsofpastandpresenthumanactivity,e.g.reclamationfromthesea,vegetationclearance,andalsoadverseresults,e.g.soilsalinization.Purelyeconomicandsocialcharacteristics,however,arenotincludedintheconceptofland;theseformpartoftheeconomicandsocialcontext.Alandmappingunitisamappedareaoflandwithspecifiedcharacteristics.Landmappingunitsaredefinedandmappedbynaturalresourcesurveys,e.g.soilsurvey,forestinventory.Theirdegreeofhomogeneityorofinternalvariationvarieswiththescaleandintensityofthestudy.Insomecasesasinglelandmappingunitmayincludetwoormoredistincttypesofland,withdifferentsuitabilities,e.g.ariverfloodplain,mappedasasingleunitbutknowntocontainbothwell-drainedalluvialareasandswampydepressions.Landisthusawiderconceptthansoilorterrain.Variationinsoils,orsoilsandlandforms,isoftenthemaincauseofdifferencesbetweenlandmappingunitswithinalocalarea:itisforthisreasonthatsoilsurveysaresometimesthemainbasisfordefinitionoflandmappingunits.However,thefitnessofsoilsforlandusecannotbeassessedinisolationfromotheraspectsoftheenvironment,andhenceitislandwhichisemployedasthebasisforsuitabilityevaluation.2.3LanduseSuitabilityevaluationinvolvesrela