What are Landforms?

What are landforms? Landforms are the natural shapes or features called landforms. There are many different types of landforms found on the earth.

mountain A mountain is a landform that rises high above other land areas.                                      

valley                                            A valley is a lowland area that separates mountains and hills.                

isthmus A narrow piece of land that joins two larger pieces of land.                                                         

plain An area of mostly flat, treeless land.

bay A body of water partly closed in by land.

island An island is land that is completely surrounded by water.

lake A lake is water that is completely surrounded by land.

ocean Oceans are the largest bodies of water on earth.

volcano A cone-shaped opening on the earth’s surface that spews ash, lava, and gas.

archipelago A large group of islands clustered together.

river a large stream of water that empties into another body of water.

mesa A hill or mountain with steep sides and a flat top

glacier A huge mass of ice that moves slowly down a slope or spreads outward over a land surface

strait A narrow flow of water that connects two bigger bodies of water

gulf A large area of an ocean or a sea partly closed in by land. It is usually bigger than a bay.

waterfall A steep fall or flow of water from a high place

hill A raised, rounded landform that is lower than a mountain

sea A large body of salt water that is smaller than an ocean

tributary A river or stream that joins a larger one

cape A pointed piece of land that stretches out into the water It is smaller than a peninsula.

peninsula Land surrounded by water on three sides