Jura Canada And Subalpine Mountain Ranges

By Iva Cannon


Jura is part of a chain of islands off the coast of Scotland called the Inner Hebrides. Islay, Mull, Skye and Coll are among the others. It is not to be confused with Jura Canada. A collection of islands such as the Hebrides is known as an archipelago. Together with another Scottish island chain, the Outer Hebrides, the Inner Hebrides is part of the Hebrides, which experiences a mild oceanic climate.

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 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.

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.

Livelihoods in the Outer Hebrides are broadly similar to those on the Inner chain, with the addition of weaving. The famous Harris tweed comes from here. All aspects of production are located on the outer archipelago: dying, carding, weaving, warping, blending, finishing and inspecting.

The Jura Mountains are located nowhere near Scotland. Instead, they are mainly in Switzerland and France but extend into Germany. The name is derived from the Celtic word for forest, which is an interesting connection with Scotland. The Juras are one of several sub-alpine mountain ranges. This refers to the biotic zone that exists at lower altitudes than the tree line. In Scotland, the tree line is as low as 1,500 feet. The specific types of plants and animals in sub-alpine areas varies with their place on the globe.

In Southeast Asia, however, the tree line is as high as 4,000 metres, or 15,000 feet. The Sumatran Montane Rainforests are home to some fascinating plant and animal species. Among the flora here are the parasitic flower, Rafflesia arnoldii, which boasts blossoms up to 1 metre wide. These are considered to be the largest flowers in the world. Amorphophallus titanum grows on two metre-tall stalks.

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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