Landforms & Bodies of Water

Landforms and Bodies of Water

 A landform is a natural physical feature of the Earth's surface.

 Archipelago - a group or chain of islands clustered together in a sea or ocean.

 Arroyo - a gully that has been carved by water.

 Atoll - a ring (or partial ring) of coral that forms a ring around a lagoon.

 Bay - a body of water that is partly enclosed by land (and is usually smaller than a gulf).

 Bog - an area of wet, spongy ground.

 Butte - a large mountain with steep sides and a flat top that stands by itself, mostly found in the western United States.

 Canyon - a deep valley with very steep sides - often carved from the Earth by a river.

 Cape - a pointed piece of land that sticks out into a sea, ocean, lake, or river.

 Cave - a large hole in the ground or in the side of a hill or mountain.

 Channel - 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 harbor that is deep enough to let ships sail through.

 Cliff - a high, steep rock face.

 Continent - The land mass on Earth is divided into continents. The seven current continents are Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America.

 Cove - a small, horseshoe-shaped body of water along the coast; the water is surrounded by land formed of soft rock.

 Delta - an area of land shaped like a triangle where a river deposits mud, sand, or pebbles as it enters the sea. A delta is often (but not always) shaped like a triangle (hence its name, delta, a Greek letter that is shaped like a triangle).

 Desert - a very dry area with little precipitation.

 Dune - a sand hill made by the wind near the ocean or a large lake or in a desert. Dunes are shaped by the wind, and change all the time.

 Estuary - an estuary is the wide part of a river where it joins a sea.  

 Fjord - a long, narrow sea inlet that is bordered by steep cliffs.  Fjords were formed by glaciers during the Ice Age.

 Geyser - a natural hot spring that occasionally sprays water and steam above the ground.

 Glacier - a large, slowly moving sheet of ice.

 Gorge - A narrow valley with steep walls. Often has a stream or river running through it.

 Gulf - a part of the ocean (or sea) that is partly surrounded by land (it is usually larger than a bay).

 Hill - a raised area or mound of land.

 Island - a piece of land that is surrounded by water.

 Isthmus - a narrow strip of land connecting two larger landmasses. An isthmus has water on two sides.

 Lagoon - a shallow body of water that is located alongside a coast.

 Lake - a large body of water surrounded by land on all sides. Really huge lakes are often called seas.

 Marsh - a type of freshwater, brackish water or saltwater wetland that is found along rivers, pond, lakes and coasts. Marsh plants grow up out of the water.

 Mesa - a hill or mountain with a flat area on top and steep sides - usually occurring in dry areas.

 Mountain - a very tall high, natural place on Earth - higher than a hill. The tallest mountain on Earth is Mt. Everest.

 Ocean - a large body of salt water that surrounds a continent. Oceans cover more the two-thirds of the Earth's surface.

 Peninsula - a body of land that is surrounded by water on three sides.

 Plains - are flat lands that have only small changes in elevation.

 Plateau - a large, flat area of land that is higher than the surrounding land.

 Pond - a small body of water surrounded by land. A pond is smaller than a lake.

 Prairie - a wide, relatively flat area of land that has grasses and only a few trees.

 River - a large, flowing body of water that usually empties into a sea or ocean.

 Sea - a large body of salty water that is often connected to an ocean. A sea may be partly or completely surrounded by land.

 Sound - a wide inlet of the sea or ocean that is parallel to the coastline; it often separates a coastline from a nearby island.

 Strait - a narrow body of water that connects two larger bodies of water.

 Swamp - a type of freshwater wetland that has spongy, muddly land and a lot of water. Many trees and shrubs grow in swamps.

 Tributary - a stream or river that flows into a larger river.

 Tundra - a cold, treeless area; it is the coldest biome.

 Waterfall - when a river falls off steeply, there is a waterfall.

 Valley - a low place between mountains.

 Volcano - a mountainous vent in the Earth's crust. When a volcano erupts, it spews out lava, ashes, and hot gases from deep inside the Earth.

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