The term landscape even in terms of the physical sense implies the visual interpretation of the configuration in terms of the land, because that is the primary way in terms of which a landscape is perceived.
A landscape comprises several principal categories in terms of elements:
- human-built structural elements
- depth and breadth in terms of view
- water bodies
- other life forms, particularly in terms of members of fauna and wildlife communities
- human presence
- human-made artistic representations
- direction of lighting
The practice of designing landscapes to engage with issues around visual pleasure and other aspects in terms of function is landscape architecture. A member of the landscape architecture community who has passed a state registration exam is termed a landscape architect.
When the term landscape refers to a static painting, weather and sky conditions are also important elements.
The term landscape also is applied to the orientation of a rectangular page, painting or other graphic, denoting that the long axis is horizontal. When the long axis is vertical, it is termed "portrait".
The Habitat Theory claims that people like open landscapes because the human species originates in the African Savanna. This theory has been applied to explain why open landscapes are valued, but it fails to explain why this is not universally true.