

Landforms and Geographic Dictionary

basinarea of land drained by a given river, area of land surrounded by lands of higher elevation
baypart of a large body of water that extends into a shoreline, generally smaller than a gulf
continentone of the seven large landmasses on the earth
glaciera large, thick body of slowly moving ice
gulflarge body of water that extends into a shoreline, generally larger and more deeply indented than a bay
islanda land area completelyl surrounded by water, but is smaller than a continent
isthmusnarrow stretch of land connecting two larger land areas
mesabroad, flat-topped landform with steep sides; smaller than a plateau
mountainland with steep sides that rises sharply (usually 1,000 feet or more) from the surrounding land, generally larger and more rugged than a hill
peninsulabody of land jutting into a lake or ocean, surrounded by water on three sides
physical featurecharacteristic of a place occurring naturally, such as a landform, body of water, climate pattern or resource
plainan area of level land, usually at low elevation and often covered with grasses
rivera large natural stream of water that runs through land
seaa large body of water completely or partly surrounded by land, not an ocean
sourcethe place where a river or stream begins, often in the highlands
straitnarrow stretch of water joining two larger bodies of water
tributarysmall river or stream that flows into a large river or stream, a branch of the river
volcanomountain created as liquid rock and ash erupt from inside the earth
capepoint of land that extends into a river, lake or ocean
canyonsteep-sided lowlands that rivers have cut through a plateau
channellike a strait but wider; a body of water between two pieces of land and they connect two larger bodies of water
cliffsteep, high wall of rock, earth or ice
trenchvalleys on the ocean floor, lowest spots in the earth's crust
highlandelevated land areas such as hills, mountains, plateaus
dividestretch of high land that separates river systems
deltadeposits of soil, that build up over time at the mouth of the river
continental shelfa plateau that stretches for several miles under water
lakea sizable inland body of water
lowlandland, usually level, at low elevation
mouthwhere the river empties into another body of water
oceanone of the four major bodies of salt water that surround the continents
ocean currentsstream of either cold or warm water that moves in a definite direction through an ocean
hillelevated land with sloping sides and a rounded summit (top), usually smaller than a mountain
plateauan area of flat or rolling land at high elevation, about 200 to 3,000 feet high, flat-topped
seacoastland lying next to a sea or an ocean
soundbroad inland body of water, often between a coastline and one or more islands off the coast
upstreamdirection opposite the flow of a river; toward the source of the river or stream
Asialargest continent
Australiasmallest continent
Russialargest country
Vatican Citysmallest country
Nile Riverlongest river
Lake Baikaldeepest freshwater lake
Angel Fallshighest waterfall
Mount Everesthighest mountain
Sahara Desertlargest desert

Yellow House Social Studies and Language Arts
Greenfield Middle School
Greenfield, WI

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