1. LANDFORMS
OF OUR WORLD

2. Earth’s Layers Earth is divided into three layers.
The outer layer is called the crust.
Beneath the crust lies the mantle.
The core is the innermost layer

3. Landforms The solid features formed on Earth’s crust.
Other features include bodies of water.
Crustal movement and other tectonic activity inside Earth create
landforms; mountains, faults, sinks, and volcanos.
Many landforms are shaped by water and wind that carve and erode
land surfaces, carrying and depositing soil, sand and other debris.

4. Topographic maps and models are used to represent landforms and help scientists better understand objects and processes.

5. Landforms Archipelago Bay Strait & Canal Cape Channel Delta Desert
Gulf
Island
Isthmus
Mountain
Peninsula
Plateau
Plain
Sound
Swamp
Sea
Mesa
Oasis
Valley
Source
River
Tundra
Lake
Butte
Canyon
Fjord
Geyser
Lagoon
Glacier
Pond
Prairie
Tributary
Volcano
Waterfall
Estuary
Dune
Savanna
Reef
Marsh

6. archipelago
ahr-kuh-pel-uh-goh A group or chain of islands in a large body of water
Aegean Islands
Back to
Landform Chart

7. bay
A bay is a body of water that is partly enclosed by land (and is usually smaller than a gulf).
Back to
Landform Chart
The bay at San Sebastian, Spain.

8. Butte near Sedona, Arizona.
A butte is a flat-topped rock or hill formation with steep sides.
Back to
Landform Chart
Butte near Sedona, Arizona.

9. canyon
A canyon is a deep valley with very steep sides - often carved from the Earth by a river.
Back to
Landform Chart
View from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

10. cape
A cape is a pointed piece of land that sticks out into a sea, ocean, lake, or river.
Back to
Landform Chart
The Cape of Good Hope; looking towards the west, from the coastal cliffs above Cape Point.

11. peninsula
A peninsula is a LARGER body of land that is surrounded by water on three sides
A peninsula in Croatia.
Back to
Landform Chart

12. 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 harbor that is deep enough to let ships sail through
Back to
Landform Chart
Satellite view of the English Channel

13. strait and canal
Canal- A constructed channel filled with water used for navigation, irrigation, or drainage.
Strait- A passageway of water connecting two large bodies of water.
Back to
Landform Chart

14. delta
A delta is a low, watery land formed at the mouth of a river. It is formed from the silt, sand and small rocks that flow downstream in the river and are deposited in the delta. A delta is often (but not always) shaped like a triangle (hence its name, delta, a Greek letter that is shaped like a triangle).
Back to
Landform Chart
Nile River Delta

15. desert A desert is a very dry area. Back to Landform Chart
Erg Chebbi, Morocco
Back to
Landform Chart

16. oasis a fertile or green area in an arid region (as a desert) Back to
The Sahara Desert extends into southern Tunisia and covers about 40 percent of the country’s land area. Camels are still used as a means of transportation in some parts of the desert, such as at this oasis near Dūz
Back to
Landform Chart

17. dune
A dune is a hill or a ridge made of sand. Dunes are shaped by the wind, and change all the time
Mesquite Flat Dunes in Death Valley National Park
Back to
Landform Chart

18. estuary An estuary is where a river meets the sea or ocean. Back to
Rio de la Plata Estuary
Back to
Landform Chart

19. fjord
A fjord is a long, narrow sea inlet that is bordered by steep cliffs.
Geirangerfjord in Norway
Back to
Landform Chart

20. geyser
A geyser is a natural hot spring that occasionally sprays water and steam above the ground.
Strokkur Geyser, Iceland
Back to
Landform Chart

21. glacier A glacier is a slowly moving river of ice. Back to
The Upper Grindelwald Glacier and the Schreckhorn, in Switzerland, showing accumulation and ablation zones
Back to
Landform Chart

22. gulf
A gulf is a part of the ocean (or sea) that is partly surrounded by land (it is usually larger than a bay).
Gulf of Mexico in 3D perspective.
Back to
Landform Chart

23. hill A hill is a raised area or mound of land. Back to Landform Chart
The panoramic view from Connors Hill, near Swifts Creek, Victoria
Back to
Landform Chart

24. island An island is a piece of land that is surrounded by water.
A small island in the Adriatic Sea.
Back to
Landform Chart

25. isthmus
An isthmus is a narrow strip of land connecting two larger landmasses. An isthmus has water on two sides.
The Isthmus of Panama connects North and South America.
Back to
Landform Chart

26. lagoon
A lagoon is a shallow body of water that is located alongside a coast.
Nearly half the area of Kiritimati is covered with lagoon, some being freshwater and some seawater.
Back to
Landform Chart

27. lake
A lake is a large body of water surrounded by land on all sides. Really huge lakes are often called seas.
One of the many artificial lakes in Arizona at sunset.
Back to
Landform Chart

28. marsh
A marsh is 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.
Freshwater marsh in Florida.
Back to
Landform Chart

29. mesa
A mesa is a land formation with a flat area on top and steep walls - usually occurring in dry areas.
Several mesas near Los Alamos, New Mexico
Back to
Landform Chart

30. mountain
A mountain is a very tall high, natural place on Earth - higher than a hill. The tallest mountain on Earth is Mt. Everest.
Mount Damavand, in winter, Iran
Back to
Landform Chart

31. ocean
An ocean is a large body of salt water that surrounds a continent. Oceans cover more the two-thirds of the Earth's surface
Bathymetric map of the Indian Ocean
Back to
Landform Chart

32. plain Plains are flat lands that have only small changes in elevation
Moghan plain, East Azarbaijan Province, Iran
Back to
Landform Chart

33. plateau
A plateau is a large, flat area of land that is higher than the surrounding land.
Monte Roraima in Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana
Back to
Landform Chart

34. pond
A pond is a small body of water surrounded by land. A pond is smaller than a lake.
A garden pond.
Back to
Landform Chart

35. prairie
A prairie is a wide, relatively flat area of land that has grasses and only a few trees.
Konza Prairie in Kansas in spring with herd of bison in distance
Back to
Landform Chart

36. river
A river is a large, flowing body of water that usually empties into a sea or ocean.
Mississippi river in New Orleans
Back to
Landform Chart

37. sea
A sea is a large body of salty water that is often connected to an ocean. A sea may be partly or completely surrounded by land.
Satellite image of the Black Sea
Back to
Landform Chart

38. sound
A sound is a wide inlet of the sea or ocean that is parallel to the coastline; it often separates a coastline from a nearby island
Puget Sound and Mt. Rainier of Washington State, USA
Back to
Landform Chart

39. source A source is the beginning of a river. Back to Landform Chart
River Wey near it’s source at Farringdon, Hampshire
Back to
Landform Chart

40. swamp
A swamp is a type of freshwater wetland that has spongy, muddly land and a lot of water. Many trees and shrubs grow in swamps.
A freshwater swamp in Florida.
Back to
Landform Chart

41. tributary
A tributary is a stream or river that flows into a larger river.
The Mosel flows into the Rhein at Koblenz.
Back to
Landform Chart

42. tundra A tundra is a cold, treeless area; it is the coldest biome.
Arctic tundra on Wrangel Island, Russia.
Back to
Landform Chart

43. valley A valley is a low place between mountains. Back to
U-shaped valley in Glacier National Park in Montana, United States.
Back to
Landform Chart

44. volcano
A volcano is 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.
Mount St. Helens in May 1980, shortly after the eruption of May 18.
Back to
Landform Chart

45. waterfall When a river falls off steeply, there is a waterfall.
Havasu Falls, near Supai, Arizona, is an example of a plunge waterfall.
Back to
Landform Chart

46. reef
Ridge of sand, rock, or coral that lies at or near the surface of a sea or ocean.
Pamalican island with surrounding reef, Sulu Sea, Philippines.
Back to
Landform Chart

47. savanna An area of grassland and scattered trees. Back to
Landform Chart
Acacia savanna south of Fada N'Gourma, Burkina Faso.