Landforms and Definitions

List
Altitude (elevation)
Archipelago
basin
bay
branch (tributary)
canal
canyon
cape
channel
climate
cliff
coast
continent
continental shelf
current
dam
delta
desert
divide
downstream
fault
fjord
forest
fork

the height above sea level

a group of many islands
an area of land largely enclosed by higher land.
part of a body of salt water that reaches into the land;
usually smaller than a gulf
a river or stream that flows into a larger river or
stream
a man-made waterway connecting two bodies of water
and is designed to shorten travel time or irrigate
narrow valley with steep sides; usually created by
erosion
a curved or hooked piece of land extending into a body
of water
a narrow deep waterway connecting two larger bodies
of water; the deepest part of the waterway.
the pattern of weather conditions (temperature,
precipitation) over a long period of time
a high, steep slope of rock or soil
land along the sea or ocean
one of the seven largest bodies of land on earth
plateau of land surface into the ocean but underwater
the flow of a stream of water
a wall built across a stream or river to hold back water
land built up by deposits of sand and silt at the mouth
of some rivers
dry, barren region usually sandy and without trees,
little rainfall or practical use of land unless irrigated
the highest ridge of land separating river basins
the direction of a river's flow; toward the mouth of the
river
a fracture in the rocks along which there has been
movement
a narrow inlet of the sea between high banks or cliffs
created by glaciers
a large tract of land covered with trees and
underbrush; extensive wooded area
the place where a stream or tributary joins a river

glacier
gulf
harbor
hemisphere
highland
hill
iceberg
inlet
island
isthmus
lake
latitude
longitude
lowland
mesa
mountain
mountain range
mouth (of a river)
oasis
ocean
peninsula
plain
plateau
port
prarie

a large body of slow moving ice which alters the land

around it through displacement
part of a sea or ocean that reaches into land; usually
larger than a bay
a sheltered area of water where ships may anchor
safely
half of the earth usually referred to as eastern or
western; northern or southern
anraised
area of
hills,
plateaus,
mountains
a
part
of the
earth'sand
surface
with sloping sides;
old mountain which because of erosion has become
rounder and shorter
a large mass of floating ice that has broken off from a
glacier, most of this is underwater
a small part of a body of water that reaches into a
coast
an are of land completely surrounded by water
narrow strip of land with water on both sides
connecting two larger pieces of land
a
large body
of water
surrounded
land
imaginary
lines
on a globe
or mapby
used
to measure
distance from the equator; parallel lines running east
and west lines on a globe or map used to measure
imaginary
distance from the Prime Meridian; lines running from
pole to pole.
an area of low and usually level land
a land formation having a relatively flat top and steep
rock walls
high, rocky land, usually with steep sides and a
pointed or rounded top, higher than a hill
a long chain of mountains; a row of connected
mountains
place where a river empties into a larger body of
water; the end of a river
a fertile place in the desert where there is water and
some vegetation
largest body of salt water; these cover 3/4 of the
earth's surface.
piece of land that extends into a body of water and is
surrounded on three sides by water
a broad, flat or gently rolling area; usually low in
elevation
flat highland area with one steep face; elevated plain
man-made place along the coastline where ships can
load and unload cargo; not a natural harbor
a large plains region with tall grass

rapids
reef
reservoir
river
sea
sound
source (of a river)
strait
swamp
tide
upstream
valley
volcano
waterfall

a part of a river, generally shallow, where the currents

move swiftly over rocks
a ridge of rock or sand at or near the surface of the
water
a lake where water is collected and stored for future
use
a large stream of water flowing through the land into a
lake, ocean, or other body of water
a large body of water, usually salt water, partly or
completely surrounded by land
a wide channel connecting two bodies of water or an
inlet between the mainland and islands
the place where a river or stream begins
a narrow waterway connecting two larger bodies of
water
an area of land that is always soaked with water; low,
wet land that supports grass and trees
the regular rising and falling of the water of the
oceans and waters connected to the ocean
the direction toward a river's source; opposite to the
rivers' flow
low
land
between
hills or formed
mountains
a
cone
shaped
mountain
out of rock or ash
thrown up from inside the earth, frequently with an
opening or depression at the top
place where running water makes a sheer drop,
usually over a cliff