Landform Classification

-Its principle and its application-

Abstract

1) Establishment of landform division is the fundamental job for geographical science. Many attempts have been accomplished for the chorographic scale classification. To classify in topographic scale, several geographers have proposed to identify the basic landform unit. For example, D. L. Linton (1951) named the basic landform unit as “site”. The author also tried to systematize the classification and named the basic unit as “Landform type”.
2) We have to systematize from the basic unit to major Landform division, province and section which are previously used for the establishment of landform region. The author proposed the system from type, via series, association, section and province to division.
3) The major job of landform classification is to identify “Landform type”. The result of landform classification will be very useful not only for geography itself, but also for other sciences such as pedology, plant ecology, agronomy, forestry and so forth. We have applied the idea of landform classification to Landform classification survey (Fig. 1, Tab. 3), flood protection survey, land classification survey and so on.