Maquis (French) or macchia (Italian; plural macchie) is a shrubland biota in Mediterranean countries, typically consisting of densely-growing evergreen shrubs such as sage, juniper and myrtle. It is similar to heath in many aspects, but with taller shrubs, typically 2-4 m high as opposed to 0.2-1 m for heath. A similar habitat type in North America is known as chaparral, though the species of shrub involved are different. Shrubland is a habitat type dominated by woody shrubs. ... Biota is the plant and animal life of a region or area. ... The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2. ... A broom shrub in flower A shrub or bush is a horticultural rather than strictly botanical category of woody plant, distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 6 m tall. ... Species see List of Salvia species Sage is a term used for plants of the genus Salvia of the mint family, Lamiaceae. ... Species See text. ... Species Myrtus communis L. Myrtus nivellei Batt. ... Heaths are anthropogenic habitats found primarily in northern and western Europe, where they have been created by thousands of years of human clearance of natural forest vegetation by grazing and burning on mainly infertile acidic soils. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... Chaparral is a shrubland biome found primarily in California, USA, that is shaped by a Mediterranean climate (mild, wet winters and hot dry summers) and wildfire. ...

The word comes from the plural of Italian macchia or thicket. It is most often associated with Corsica, but is widely found on the mainland as well. Capital Ajaccio Land area¹ 8,680 km² President of the Executive Council Ange Santini (UMP) (since 2004) Population   - Jan. ...

Although maquis is by definition 'wild', its appearance in many places is due to human destruction of natural forest cover, mainly by frequent burning preventing young trees from maturing. It tends to grow in arid, rocky areas where only drought-resistant plants are likely to prosper. The Old Fire burning in the San Bernardino Mountains (image taken from the International Space Station) A wildfire, also known as a forest fire, vegetation fire, grass fire, brush fire, or bushfire (in Australasia), is an uncontrolled fire often occurring in wildland areas, but which can also consume houses or...

The extremely dense nature of maquis made it ideal cover for bandits and guerrillas, who would use it to shelter from the authorities. It is from this meaning that the Second World War French resistance movement, the Maquis, derived its name. Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... Members of the Maquis in La Tresorerie For other uses, see Maquis. ...