What does "stretch over" refer to in geographical terms?

The term "stretch over" in geographical contexts pertains to the idea of something spreading over a large area or distance. This can refer to physical features of the landscape, such as mountains, forests, or bodies of water, that extend across regions. It conveys the notion of coverage or expanse, indicating how features are distributed across the earth's surface, influencing geographical characteristics, climate, and ecosystems.

In contrast, while building structures on land, extracting resources, or terraforming land all involve human activities that affect the environment, they do not encapsulate the intrinsic geographical concept of extending over a space. Therefore, the essence of "stretch over" fundamentally lies in its emphasis on coverage and extension in a geographic sense rather than specific human actions or constructions.