Imagine A Country Without Trees? Well, There Is One (or Rather Four)!
“Trees are the lungs of the earth”, from schoolbooks to the wall paintings by roads, everything says the same. Well, we do like walking through the canopy of trees and melodious chirping of birds brushing themselves with the leaves. But how about a place or rather a COUNTRY with “no trees” at all? Honestly, it scares me out of my wits to imagine an entire country without trees. But astonishingly, there are some countries in the world where you will find a limited or even no sign of trees at all. Take a look at the list below and see how these countries manage without trees!
1. Greenland- a land without GREEN
What comes to your mind when you hear the word “green”? Trees, forests, and a lush landscape of soothing greenery? So, if you think that Greenland would be “land of green vistas”, then my pals, you’re wrong! The thousands and thousands of miles of Greenland’s terrain are without a live green plan. So, why on earth is it GREEN-Land? Thanks to the witty Scandinavians who named it so to attract more settlers.
2. Qatar- the true desert
Qatar is rich; Qatar is safe; Qatar owns the world’s greatest airline, and Qatar is home to a large number of skyscrapers. But sadly, this opulent country has no trees. Qatar stands true on the definition of the desert from all aspects and receives hardly any amount of rain throughout the year. Well, the richy-rich in Qatar cannot see their country left behind at anything, and so they are creating a man-made forest with over 40,000 trees, the largest in the world!
3. The Faroe Islands- the most magical place
I would call the Faroe Islands one of the most magical places on earth. You do find a vast carpet of meadows covering the rocky terrains of Faroe, a huge herd of sheep, and plenty of cute, little, feathered creatures (including the national bird Oystercatcher), but no tree has found a home in the Faroe Islands. Yes, you can witness some medicinal shrubs that could be a reason behind the healthy living on the island.
4. Haiti- a victim of deforestation
It is said that until the year 1923, around 60% area of Haiti was covered in trees. However, this small Caribbean country fell prey to huge deforestation and today, only a little number of trees is left. The aerial photographs taken in the 1940s and 1950s show major deforestation in the country and by the year 1986, Haiti reached the peak of the environmental crisis. Of course, when there aren’t trees, there won’t be the products you get from them. The environmental crisis soon turned into an economic crisis too!
While describing a scene in her novel “The Twelve Tribes Of Hattie”, the writer Ayana Mathis says, “She smelled the absence of trees before she saw it…". This absence of trees has made life quite challenging for countries like Greenland and Haiti.