lands

Lands refers to the parts of Earth's surface that are not covered by oceans or other bodies of water. In geography, land contrasts with sea and air and comprises natural features such as mountains, plains, and plateaus, as well as the human-modified landscapes of cities, farms, and mines. The total land area of Earth is about 149 million square kilometers, roughly 29 percent of the planet's surface.

Land is typically organized into political territories, including sovereign states, provinces, and municipalities. Ownership and access to land vary by jurisdiction, with concepts such as private property, public land, and customary or indigenous land rights. Land use is managed through planning and zoning, to accommodate housing, agriculture, forestry, industry, and recreation, while protecting ecosystems and cultural sites. Land designation also includes conservation areas, protected landscapes, and resettlement or expropriation in some cases.

Geologically, lands are shaped by plate tectonics, weathering, erosion, and sedimentation. Soils develop through long-term interactions of climate, organisms, relief, and parent material, and are central to agriculture and ecosystems. Land degradation—through deforestation, overgrazing, pollution, or urban sprawl—reduces productivity and biodiversity, but restoration efforts like reforestation and soil rehabilitation aim to recover function.

In cultural and political language, "the lands" can denote a country or region as a collective entity, or refer to territories claimed or inhabited by peoples in historical or contemporary contexts.