2.3 Mapping Earth's Physical Features
In the wi nter. snowboardcrs look for a snowy mountain to practice their
sport on. In the SUllllller. vacationers seck to cool off by a lake or river.
These are just three o f the landfonns and bodies o f water that you might
see on a physical fealure s map.
Common landfonns Geographers have given mImes to the many
lundfonns found on Earth. Some I:mdfonns have di stinctive shapes when
viewed from above. A long. narrow penins ula, for example. juts out
from a continent into the ocean :md is surrounded by WOl le r on three
sides. Other lalldfomls h:l ve di stinct sh:lpcs when viewed from ground
leve l. Mountain ranges lower over low. n at plains. A plateau is a raised.
flat area of land. A canyon is a d(."Cp. narrow vullc), with sleep sides .
Physical fealures maps show the shapes of features as seen fro m
above. They al so show the e levation. o r height above sea leve l. of vario us featu res. These nwps typica lly usc colors and shadi ng to show
changes in e lev:nioll .
Landforms and Water Bodies
You will see both landforms and
bodies of water labeled on maps.
This diagram shows many of these
physical features.
28
Chapter 2
Bodies of Water Geographers al so l:lbcl bodies of water on physical
fe .. tures maps. Many kinds of water bodies appear o n contine nts. For
instance. rivers flow down from mountains and make their way to the sea.
Lakes are entire ly surrounded by land. Other wate r bodies arc created
where oceans and seas meet continents. A bay is pan or an ocean that is
enclosed by an inward-curving stretch or coast line . A gulf is a body of water
that c uts deepl y into the sho reline a nd is e nclosed by I..nd o n three s ides.
-
Physical Features of India
"'...
i
8 a y 0 (
Bengal
s ..
feet
Over 10,000
5,001- 10,000
2.001- 5,000
1,001 - 2.000
0-1 ,000
Be low sea level
'"
i
Physical Features Ma ps
""
Elevatio n
This map shows major physical
features in Ind ia. The Himalayas
Meters
Over 3,050
are Ind ia's hig hest physical feature.
Below tea level
Two long rivers, the Ganges and
the Brahmaputra, flow out of the
Him alayas. They form one of the
world's la rgest river deltas where
they meet the Bay of Bengal.
1,520-3.050
611- 1,525
306-610
0-305
.t. Mou ntain peat
dune
..
Seeing the World like a Geog rapher
29