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Illustrated Glossary:
Landforms and Bodies of Water
Definitions:
archipelago
butte
atoll
An archipelago is a
An atoll is a ring (or
group or chain of islands partial ring) of coral that
clustered together in a
forms an island in an
sea or ocean.
ocean or sea.
bay
A bay is a body of water
that is partly enclosed by
land (and is usually
smaller than a gulf).
A butte is a
flat-topped rock or
hill formation with
steep sides.
channel
A channel is a body of water
cave
that connects two larger
A
cave
is
a
large
bodies of water (like the
cape
canyon
hole in the
English
Channel). A channel
A
cape
is
a
pointed
A canyon is a deep valley
ground
or
in
the
is also a part of a river or
piece of land that sticks
with very steep sides side
of
a
hill
or
harbor
that is deep enough
out into a sea, ocean,
often carved from the
mountain.
to let ships sail through.
lake, or river.
Earth by a river.
continent
col
A
mountain
cliff
pass.
A cliff is a steep face
of rock and soil.
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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 cove is small, horseshoeshaped body of water along the
coast; the water is surrounded
by land formed of soft rock.
delta
dune
A delta is a low, watery land formed at the
A dune is a hill
equator
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mouth of a river. It is formed from the silt,
or a ridge made
The equator is an
sand and small rocks that flow downstream
of sand. Dunes
imaginary circle
desert
in the river and are deposited in the delta. A A desert is a are shaped by the around the earth,
delta is often (but not always) shaped like a
wind, and
halfway between
very dry
triangle (hence its name, delta, a Greek letter
change all the the north and south
area.
that is shaped like a triangle).
time.
poles.
geomorphology
estuary
An estuary is
where a river
meets the sea
or ocean.
glacier
A glacier is a
slowly moving
river of ice.
geyser
Geomorphology is the scientific
fjord
A geyser is a natural
field that investigates how
A fjord is a long,
hot spring that
landforms are formed on the
narrow sea inlet that is
occasionally
sprays
Earth (and other planets).
bordered by steep
water and steam above
cliffs.
the ground.
hill
gulf
A gulf is a part of the ocean (or sea)
that is partly surrounded by land (it is
usually larger than a bay).
island
A hill is a raised An island is a piece
of land that is
area or mound of
surrounded by water.
land.
latitude
lagoon
Latitude is the angular distance
A lagoon is a
lake
north
or south from the equator
shallow body A lake is a large body
isthmus
to a particular location. The
of water that is of water surrounded
An isthmus is a narrow
equator has a latitude of zero
located
by land on all sides.
strip of land connecting
degrees.
The North Pole has a
alongside a Really huge lakes are
two larger landmasses. An
latitude of 90 degrees North;
coast.
often called seas.
isthmus has water on two
the South Pole has a latitude of
sides.
90 degrees South.
marsh
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longitude
Longitude is the angular distance
east or west from the north-south
line that passes through Greenwich,
England, to a particular location.
Greenwich, England has a longitude
of zero degrees. The farther east or
west of Greenwich you are, the
greater your longitude. Midway
Islands (in the Pacific Ocean) have a
longitude of 180 degrees (they are on
the opposite side of the globe from
Greenwich).
A marsh is a type of
freshwater, brackish
mesa
water or saltwater
A mesa is a land
wetland that is
formation with a
found along rivers, flat area on top and
pond, lakes and
steep walls coasts. Marsh plants usually occurring in
grow up out of the
dry areas.
water.
plain
ocean
mountain
A mountain is a
very tall high,
natural place on
Earth - higher
than a hill. The
tallest mountain
on Earth is Mt.
Everest.
plateau
Plains are flat
A plateau is a large, flat
peninsula
An ocean is a large body of
lands that have
area of land that is
A peninsula is a body
salt water that surrounds a
only
small
changes
higher than the
of land that is
continent. Oceans cover more
in elevation.
surrounding land.
surrounded by water
the two-thirds of the Earth's
on three sides.
surface
pond
prairie
sea
A prairie is a wide,
river
A sea is a large body of salty
A pond is a small body relatively flat area of
A river is a large,
water that is often connected
of water surrounded by land that has grasses flowing body of water
to an ocean. A sea may be
land. A pond is smaller and only a few trees. that usually empties
partly or completely
than a lake.
into a sea or ocean.
surrounded by land.
sound
A sound is a wide inlet
source
of the sea or ocean that A source is
is parallel to the
the
swamp
strait
coastline; it often
beginning of A strait is a narrow body A swamp is a type of freshwater
separates a coastline
a river.
of water that connects wetland that has spongy, muddly
from a nearby island.
land and a lot of water. Many
two larger bodies of
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trees and shrubs grow in
swamps.
water.
tributary
A tributary is a stream or river
that flows into a larger river.
valley
tundra
A tundra is a cold, treeless area; it
is the coldest biome.
volcano
A valley is a low place
between mountains.
wetland
waterfall A wetland is an area of land that is often wet; the soil
A volcano is a mountainous
When
a river
vent in the Earth's crust.
in wetlands are often low in oxygen. Wetland plants
falls off
When a volcano erupts, it
are adapted to life in wet soil. There are many types
spews out lava, ashes, and steeply, there is
of wetlands, including: swamp, slough, fen, bog,
a waterfall.
hot gases from deep inside
marsh, moor, muskeg, peatland, bottomland,
the Earth.
delmarva, mire, wet meadow, riparian, etc.
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