Landforms
Volcano Definition: a mountain or hill, typically conical, having a crater or vent through which lava, rock fragments, hot vapor, and gas are being or have been erupted from the earth's crust. Examples: Mount Vesuvius, Mount St. Helens, Eyjafjallajokull Human Examples: Volcanoes can be deadly to humans, with the poisonous gases, lava, and the eruption. However volcanic ash is known to be very beneficial for plants.
Hills Definition: A naturally raised area of land, not as high or craggy as a mountain. Examples: The Hill Country, Bunker Hill, Cavanal Hill (World’s Tallest hill) Human Examples: Humans have made their homes in the hills for as long as they have been around. They will build their homes on them and even farm in the hills.
Island and Archipelago Island Definition: A piece of land surrounded by water. Archipelago Definition: A chain or group of islands. Islands: Iceland, Aleutian Islands, Faroe Islands, Archipelagos: Hawaii, Canadian Artic Archipelago, Galápagos Islands Human Examples: Humans would often come across an island or archipelago by luck and settle on the body of land for a period. Most islands and archipelagos are either dormant or active volcanoes, people living there had to deal with eruptions but had access to very rich soil.
Canyon Definition: a narrow valley between hills or mountains, typically with steep rocky walls and a stream running through it. Examples: Grand Canyon, Government Canyon, Yarlung Tsangpo Human Examples: Human cultures have lived in canyons for thousands of years. Many came for the water but stayed for the religious aspect. The cultures believed there was a spiritual reason there was a “large cut” in the earth, such as battling monsters or gods.
Desert Definition: A region so arid because of little rainfall that it supports only sparse and widely spaced vegetation or no vegetation at all. Examples: Death Valley, Antarctica, Sahara, Mojave Desert Human Examples: Because of the general lack of water many human cultures avoid living in deserts. However there are several cultures through out the world who have thrived in the arid climates. The largest desert in the world is Antarctica.
Mountains Definition: A large natural elevation of the earth's surface rising abruptly from the surrounding level. Examples: Rocky Mountains, Himalayas, Cascade Mountains, Mt Everest Due to the sometimes extreme heights that mountains can reach there are very few humans living on a mountain. Mountains have been used for Mining for many years though.
Forest Definition: A large area covered chiefly with trees and undergrowth. Examples: Black Forest, Amazon Rainforest, Sagano Bamboo forest, Sherwood Forest Human Example: Human society and forests influence each other in both positive and negative ways. Forests provide ecosystem services to humans and serve as tourist attractions. Human activities, including harvesting forest resources, can negatively affect forest ecosystems.
Plain Definition: A broad area of relatively flat land. Examples: Great Plains, Cheshire Plain, Sarobetsu Plain, Cumberland Plain Human Example: Plains in many areas are important for agriculture because where the soils were deposited as sediments they may be deep and fertile, and the flatness allows for easy farming; or because they support grasslands which provide food for livestock.
Ocean Definition: A very large expanse of sea, in particular, each of the main areas into which the sea is divided geographically. Examples: Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, Artic Ocean, Antarctic Ocean Human Example: Humans have been sailing in the oceans for as long as we have been able to build boats. 80% of all fish caught come from the ocean, it has always been a source of food.
River Definition: A large natural stream of water flowing in a channel to the sea, a lake, or another such stream. Examples: Nile, Mississippi, Danube, Amazon, Yellow, Rio Grande Human Example: Humans have used rivers as a source of transportation and food. Most, if not all, human settlements are based around source of water such as rivers.