Moor

Any of the northwestern African Muslims, of mixed Arab and Berber origin, who conquered Spain and ruled its southern part from 711 to 1492, when they were forced to renounce their faith and became Christian (they were then known as Moriscos). The name (English form of Latin Maurus) was originally applied to an inhabitant of the Roman province of Mauritania, in northwestern Africa.

moor

Open moorland and farmland, Dartmoor, England. Farming landscapes are very different to natural ones. They have fewer species of plant, and are more ordered and regular. As a result of the reduced biodiversity, there are fewer insects, birds and mammals. In contrast, natural ecosystems have a greater variety of plant species, which support a more complex food web.

Dartmoor in Devon, England, is a high moorland area formed on a bed of granite. Stone walls characteristically separate farmland from the moor, and are a useful way of getting rid of the stones from the farmland.

Dartmoor, in southwest England. A farming landscape forms the foreground of this picture, while in the distance the moor can be seen. Human activity has several effects on the local ecosystems: farming reduces the diversity of plants, insects, birds, and animals in the area, and mining (there is a quarry on the edge of the moor) removes both natural vegetation and topsoil.

In earth science, a stretch of land, usually at a height, which is characterized by a vegetation of heather, coarse grass, and bracken. A moor may be poorly drained and contain boggy hollows.