Geography: Physical Features Vocabulary
|
Basin |
An area of land drained by a given river and its branches; an area of land surrounded by lands of higher elevations |
|
Bay |
The part of a large body of water that extends into a shoreline, generally smaller than a gulf |
|
Canyon |
A deep and narrow valley with steep walls |
|
Cape |
A point of land that extends into a river, lake or ocean |
|
Channel |
A wide strait or waterway between 2 landmasses that lie close to each other; deep part of a river or other waterway |
|
Cliff |
A step, high wall of rock, earth or ice |
|
Continent |
One of 7 large landmasses on the earth |
|
Delta |
A flat, low-lying land built up from soil carried downstream by a river and deposited at is mouth |
|
Desert |
A region of vegetation, either cold or hot, that receives ten inches or less of precipitation each year |
|
Glacier |
A large, thick body of slowly moving ice |
|
Gulf |
Part of a large body of water that extends into a shoreline, generally larger and more deeply indented than a bay |
|
Harbor |
A sheltered place along a shoreline where ships can anchor safely |
|
Hill |
Elevated land with sloping sides and a rounded summit; generally smaller than a mountain |
|
Island |
A land area, smaller that a continent, completely surrounded by water |
|
Isthmus |
A narrow stretch of land connecting 2 larger land areas |
|
Lake |
A sizable inland body of water |
|
Mesa |
Broad, flat-topped landform with steep sides; smaller than a plateau |
|
Mountain |
Land with steep sides that rises sharply (1000 feet or more) from surrounding land; generally larger and more rugged than a hill |
|
Mouth (of a river) |
A place where a stream or river flows into a larger body of water |
|
Ocean |
One of the 4 major bodies of salt water that surround the continents |
|
Peninsula |
A body of land jutting into a lake or ocean, surrounded on 3 sides by water |
|
Plain |
An area of level land, usually at low elevation and often covered with grasses |
|
Plateau |
An area of flat or rolling land at a high elevation, about 300-3,000 feet high |
|
Rain forest |
A tropical dense evergreen woodland with an annual rainfall of 100 inches or more |
|
River |
A large, natural stream of water that runs through the land |
|
Sea |
A large body of water completely or partly surrounded by land |
|
Sound |
A broad, inland body of water, often between a coastline and one or more islands off the coast |
|
Source (of a river) |
A place where a river or stream begins, often in highlands |
|
Strait |
A narrow stretch of water joining 2 large bodies of water |
|
Tributary |
A small river or stream that flows into a large river or stream; a branch of the river |
|
Tundra |
A region of vegetation at high latitudes, high elevations, and characterized by cold temperatures and sparse vegetation |
|
Valley |
An area of low land between hills or mountains |
|
Volcano |
A mountain created as liquid rock and ash erupt from inside the earth |
