geographic barriers
Terrain blocking movement
Geographic barriers are natural features that impede movement or separate populations—mountain ranges, oceans, deserts, rivers.
In biology, geographic barriers drive speciation by isolating groups that evolve independently: The Andes created a geographic barrier between eastern and western species.
The term extends to any physical landscape feature that limits travel, trade, or communication.
- wallsVertical enclosing structures
- sea wallsBarriers protecting shores from waves
- damsWater-blocking structures
- buffer zonesSeparating areas preventing contact
- no man's landUnowned space between enemies
deserts · tundras · mountains · oceans · rivers · ocean currents · habitat fragmentation · valleys · highways · urban sprawl · glaciers · canals · isolation · forests · fences · levees · cliffs · railroads
geographic barrierstrade routes
Paths for exchanging goods
land bridges · corridors · passages · open plains · river valleys
geographic barrierspolitical borders
Demarcations between jurisdictions
national boundaries · state lines · legal boundaries · colonial boundaries · demarcation lines
geographic barriersnatural bridges
Rock spans formed by erosion
isthmuses · land bridges · river systems · coastal plains · fertile valleys
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