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Landforms
Label Landforms Illustrated Glossary:
Landforms Quiz Landforms and Bodies of Water Geography pages
Definitions:

archipelago atoll
An atoll is a ring (or butte
An archipelago is a bay
partial ring) of coral that A bay is a body of water A butte is a flat-topped
group or chain of rock or hill formation
forms an island in an that is partly enclosed by
islands clustered with steep sides.
ocean or sea. The coral land (and is usually smaller
together in a sea or
sits atop a submerged than a gulf).
ocean.
volcanic cone.

cay
canyon cape cave A cay is a low-lying
A canyon is a deep A cape is a pointed piece A cave is a large hole in the sandy island formed
valley with very steep of land that sticks out ground or in the side of a atop a reef.
sides - often carved into a sea, ocean, lake, or hill or mountain.
from the Earth by a river.
river.

channel
A channel is a body of
water that connects
two larger bodies of
water (like the English
Channel). A channel is
also a part of a river or A cliff is a steep face of
harbor that is deep
enough to let ships sail
through.
continent
The land mass on
Earth is divided into
continents. The seven
col
current continents are
cliff A mountain pass.
Africa, Antarctica,
Asia, Australia,
rock and soil. Europe, North
America, and South
America.
 delta
A delta is a low, watery
land formed at the mouth
of a river. It is formed
from the silt, sand and dune
cove small rocks that flow A dune is a hill or a
A cove is small, downstream in the river ridge made of sand.
horseshoe-shaped and are deposited in the desert Dunes are shaped by
body of water along delta. A delta is often A desert is a very dry area. the wind, and change
the coast; the water is (but not always) shaped all the time.
surrounded by land like a triangle (hence its
formed of soft rock. name, delta, a Greek
letter that is shaped like
a triangle).

geomorphology
equator Geomorphology is the
The equator is an scientific field that
estuary investigates how
imaginary circle fjord
An estuary is where a
around the earth, A fjord is a long, narrow sea landforms are formed
halfway between the river meets the sea or on the Earth (and
inlet that is bordered by
north and south poles. ocean. other planets).
steep cliffs.

geyser
A geyser is a natural glacier gulf hill
hot spring that A glacier is a long- A gulf is a part of the ocean A hill is a raised area
occasionally sprays lasting, slowly-moving (or sea) that is partly or mound of land.
water and steam above river of ice on land. surrounded by land (it is
the ground. usually larger than a bay).

key lagoon
A key is a low-lying island A lagoon is a shallow
island (especially in the Caribbean body of water that is
An island is a piece of
Sea), usually formed by a located alongside a
land that is surrounded
by water.
isthmus reef. coast.
An isthmus is a narrow
strip of land connecting
 two larger landmasses.
An isthmus has water on
two sides.

longitude
Longitude is the angular
distance east or west from
latitude the north-south line that marsh
Latitude is the angular passes through Greenwich, A marsh is a type of
distance north or south England, to a particular freshwater, brackish
lake from the equator to a location. Greenwich,
A lake is a large body particular location. The water or saltwater
England has a longitude of wetland that is found
of water surrounded by equator has a latitude of zero degrees. The farther
land on all sides. along rivers, pond,
zero degrees. The North east or west of Greenwich lakes and coasts.
Really huge lakes are Pole has a latitude of 90 you are, the greater your Marsh plants grow up
often called seas. degrees North; the South longitude. Midway Islands out of the water.
Pole has a latitude of 90 (in the Pacific Ocean) have
degrees South. a longitude of 180 degrees
(they are on the opposite
side of the globe from
Greenwich).

mesa mountain ocean

A mesa is a land A mountain is a very tall An ocean is a large body of peninsula
formation with a flat high, natural place on salt water that surrounds a A peninsula is a body
area on top and steep Earth - higher than a hill. continent. Oceans cover of land that is
walls - usually The tallest mountain on more the two-thirds of the surrounded by water
occurring in dry areas. Earth is Mt. Everest. Earth's surface on three sides.

prairie
plateau A prairie is a
plain A plateau is a large, pond wide, relatively
Plains are flat lands that have only flat area of land that is A pond is a small body of flat area of land
small changes in elevation. higher than the water surrounded by land. that has grasses
surrounding land. A pond is smaller than a and only a few
lake. trees.

river
A river is a large, flowing body of
water that usually empties into a
sea or ocean.
water flow on the land
strait
A strait is a narrow body of water
that connects two larger bodies of
water.
tundra
A tundra is a cold, treeless area; it
is the coldest biome.
wetland
A wetland is an area of land that is
often wet; the soil in wetlands are
often low in oxygen. Wetland
sea sound
A sea is a large body
A sound is a wide inlet of source
of salty water that is
the sea or ocean that is A source is the
parallel to the coastline; it beginning of a
often connected to an
often separates a coastline river.
ocean. A sea may be
from a nearby island.
partly or completely
surrounded by land.
surface runoff
Surface runoff is
tributary
that occurs when the
swamp A tributary is a
soil is saturated with
A swamp is a type of stream or river
water and the excess
freshwater wetland that that flows into a
water (from
has spongy, muddly land larger river.
precipitation or
and a lot of water. Many
snowmelt) runs over
trees and shrubs grow in
the surface.
swamps.
volcano
A volcano is a waterfall
valley mountainous vent in the When a river
A valley is a low Earth's crust. When a falls off steeply,
place between volcano erupts, it spews there is a
mountains. out lava, ashes, and hot waterfall.
gases from deep inside the
Earth.
plants are adapted to life in wet
soil. There are many types of
wetlands, including: swamp,
slough, fen, bog, marsh, moor,
muskeg, peatland,bottomland,
delmarva, mire, wet meadow,
riparian, etc.