Importance of Lowlands

Lowlands are economically important to man because;

1. Fertile, Level Soil: Plains and lowlands are the most productive agricultural lands as they have rich fertile soil, a great resource for agriculture. Plains and Lowlands also have a level surface which makes irrigationIrrigation is the artificial application of water to the soil through various systems of tubes, pumps, and sprays. It helps grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation is usually used in... More easier. The Gezira plain of Sudan, Nile Valley plains, Veldt of South Africa, Pampas of Argentina, and the Prairies of North America provide very productive farming plains worldwide.

2. A great source of Mineral Resources: Plains often contain deposits of valuable natural resources like petroleum, natural gas, coal, and minerals. The flat terrain also facilitates the extraction and transportation of these resources. For instance, the Jos Plateau has been one of the world’s major suppliers of tin.

3. Livestock Rearing: The grassy vegetation on plains provides excellent grazing land for feeding and raising livestock such as cattle, sheep, and goats. The open landscapeA landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or man-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal. A... More on plains enables animals to be fed and moved easily. The rearing of animals on Plains in areas of low rainfall is practised heavily because the weather conditions favour pasture growth.

4. Communication: Communication routes can be established easily on lowlands because the surfaces are gentle and fairly undulating, this favours the building of infrastructure necessary for communication such as masts, radio communication transmitters, fibre/copper cable, and towers.

5. Infrastructure Development: Due to the flat, obstacle-free nature of plains they are an ideal location for constructing major transportation infrastructure like roads, railways, and airports. This supports the movement of goods and people for economic purposes.

6. Urban Development: Many large cities and urban areas are situated on plains, due to the level surface it is easy to construct homes and commercial infrastructure.

7. Job Availability: Due to the available infrastructure and the nature of plains, various jobs are available such as jobs in farming and agriculture as well as in mineral extraction, communication, transportation and so on.