#coast

• Abidjan — The largest city and principal economic center of Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire). In the field of global epidemiology and tropical medicine, the city represents a crucial hub for clinical research in West Africa, housing specialized centers (such as the Institut Pasteur de Côte d'Ivoire) dedicated to tracking, studying, and combating major infectious diseases like yellow fever, endemic malaria, HIV/AIDS, and African hemorrhagic fevers.
• Pink sand verbena — (Botany) A species of trailing herbaceous plant in the genus Abronia, native to the west coast of North America (from British Columbia to Baja California); commonly known as the 'pink sand verbena', it is characterized by fragrant pink-purple flowers arranged in globose umbels and its adaptation to maritime sand dunes.
• Actophyte — A botanical term denoting a higher or lower plant that grows and develops exclusively on steep rocks, marine cliffs directly exposed to winds and waves, or in littoral zones with an extremely aggressive physical dynamics. This structural plant features a highly branched and resistant root or anchoring system.
• Aeromaritime — Relating simultaneously to airspace and maritime space; combining aeronautical and naval elements or taking place over seas and oceans. The term commonly describes mixed transport lines, coastal patrol and rescue missions, combined military exercises, or logistical infrastructures connecting ports and airports.
• Steep slope — A popular or regional name attributed to a steep hillside, a deep ravine formed by land subsidence, or a rugged, hidden place in the thick of the forest. The term is used in isolation within local dialects to describe hard-to-reach terrain sectors where the soil tends to collapse under weather actions.
• Agonis flexuosa — A species of fast-growing, evergreen tree or large shrub in the family Myrtaceae, commonly known as the peppermint tree or willow myrtle; native to southwest Western Australia, it is celebrated for its weeping branches, lance-shaped leaves with a distinct peppermint aroma, and small white flowers.
• Alagoas — A component state located in the northeastern region of the Federative Republic of Brazil, bordered by the states of Pernambuco, Sergipe, and Bahia, with an extensive opening to the Atlantic Ocean; its capital and largest urban center is Maceió. This administrative territory is structurally distinguished by its diversified relief comprising a coastal plain dominated by spectacular lagoons and coral reefs, a semi-arid plateau area in the interior called sertão, and an economy historically based on sugar cane monoculture, summer tourism, and oil production.
• Alstroemeria pelegrina — The scientific Latin designation for the pink Peruvian lily, a perennial herbaceous plant species in the Alstroemeriaceae family, native to the coastal regions of Chile and Peru. This species is highly valued structurally in landscape design due to its large, open-faced flowers featuring pale lilac-pink or pinkish-white petals, decorated centrally with intense purple splotches and a bright yellow zone, representing the type species of the entire Alstroemeria genus.
• Ammophilous — Growing, developing, or vegetating on sandy soils, especially on coastal dunes or in arid regions. In an ecological sense, it describes psammophilous plants or organisms that exhibit specific structural adaptations to survive in environments with high water permeability and instability of the sandy substrate.
• Andromeda lucida — A historical botanical name (synonym) previously used for the species Lyonia lucida, an evergreen shrub native to the coastal plains and bogs of the southeastern United States. Belonging to the Ericaceae family, this structural plant is noted for its shiny, elliptical leaves with smooth margins and a prominent marginal vein, producing white or pink axillary flowers.
• Anemophyte — A plant structurally and physiologically adapted to grow and thrive in habitats constantly exposed to strong winds or intense air currents. This type of organism (frequently found in high alpine, coastal, or tundra zones) exhibits precise morphological adaptations, such as a low stature, a cushion-like (pulvinate) growth form, highly flexible stems, and leathery or villous leaves to withstand mechanical stress and wind-induced dehydration.
• Riprap — A massive construction element made by heap-piling, orderly laying, or chaotically dumping large blocks of raw stone, boulders, or prefabricated concrete elements (such as stabilopods). In hydrotechnical and civil engineering, this heavy structure is used for building dikes, dams, riverbank reinforcements, protections against wave or torrent erosion, and for solid underwater foundations.
• Gentle slope — A small inclined relief form, a gentle hillside, or a slight slope of a ground where water can easily drain; in an archaic sense, it can also denote a specially arranged place, partially covered or sloped, used for the temporary sheltering of cattle or tools.
• Arabis blepharophylla — A rare species of perennial herbaceous plant, endemic to the California coast (United States), belonging to the Brassicaceae family. It is recognized in botany by its leaves with margins fringed with fine, stiff hairs (resembling eyelashes) and by its spectacular deep pink to purple flowers, highly valued in horticulture as an ornamental plant for rock gardens and containers due to its vibrant, compact growth.
• Hillside slope — Old phonetic or regional variant of the word 'rânia' (râna - side/slope); the edge, ridge, slope of a hill, or the lateral side of the body. In archaic texts, it described the inclined position of a terrain or the act of lying on one's side.
• Arctotis stoechadifolia — A species of perennial, often trailing or bushy plant in the genus Arctotis, family Asteraceae, native to the coastal sand dunes of South Africa. The plant features long, decumbent stems forming dense ground covers, elongated, toothed, and heavily tomentose leaves of a silvery-grey hue, and inflorescences whose ray florets can vary colorfully from cream and pale yellow to bronze shades, playing a vital ecological role in stabilizing eroded coastal dunes.
• Sand expanse — An extensive accumulation of sand, a sandy beach, or a desert area covered with dunes; an unconsolidated granular sedimentary deposit formed by rock disintegration under climatic actions. In an international geographical and tourism context (originating from Spanish), the term designates coastal regions, seaside resorts, or volcanic areas structurally characterized by the massive presence of sand fields or fine volcanic ash.
• Arenicolous — Living, growing, or burrowing in sand; specific to organisms or plants structurally adapted to sandy environments. In zoology, it describes species of invertebrates (such as the lugworm Arenicola marina), reptiles, or insects that dig burrows in the sandy substrate of beaches or coastal dunes, exhibiting special morphological adaptations for habitation and locomotion.
• Backdune — A sand dune formation located behind the foredunes or coastal dunes, being more stabilized by vegetation and less exposed to the direct action of strong marine winds.
• Backshore — The area behind the beach proper, located along marine or lacustrine coasts, beyond the line reached by waves during normal high tide; this structure often includes sand dunes, halophytic vegetation, and sedimentary deposits brought by wind or violent storms, playing a critical ecological role in stabilizing the shoreline.