Landencategorie

Landencategorie, or land category, is a classification system used in geography, planning, and land management to group land areas according to their primary use, function, or characteristic. The classification helps authorities and organizations organize maps, assess environmental impact, allocate resources, and guide decisions on zoning, development, conservation, and taxation.

Common categories include agricultural land (arable land and permanent pasture), forest or woodland, natural or protected nature areas, urban areas and infrastructure, water bodies, and barren or industrial land. Some systems differentiate further, for example arable land, permanent grassland, agroforestry, settlements, industry, recreation areas, wetlands, and scrubland.

Classification is often based on land cover, soil quality, productivity, climate, topography, ecological value, or legal designation. It is implemented in geographic information systems (GIS) and maps, and may align with international schemes such as CORINE Land Cover in Europe; national or regional schemes may have their own categories.

Applications include urban planning, environmental impact assessment, agricultural policy, land taxation, and nature conservation. The system supports monitoring of change over time, such as urban expansion or agricultural transformation, and informs land-use decisions.

Because land can serve multiple uses and policies change, landencategorie are approximations and are periodically revised. See also land use planning, zoning, land cover, and CORINE.