Geographic Features You’ll Need to Know…

the physical features of a place or region TOPOGRAPHY the physical features of a place or region

height measured above sea level ALTITUDE height measured above sea level

ELEVATION height above sea level

area of flat or rolling land at a high elevation, PLATEAU area of flat or rolling land at a high elevation, about 30-3,000 feet high

MOUNTAINS high, steep, rugged land that rises above surrounding land. At least 2,000 ft high

areas of raised land that are lower and HILLS areas of raised land that are lower and less steep than mountains

PLAINS area of level land, usually at low elevation and covered with grasses

COASTAL PLAINS low level areas that border oceans

part of a body of h2o that is partly BAY part of a body of h2o that is partly enclosed by land (smaller than a gulf)

CAPE narrow part of land that extends into a body of h2o

COAST land that boarders a sea or ocean

DELTA flat, low-lying land built up from soil carried downstream by a river and deposited at its mouth

ridge that separates rivers that flow in one direction DIVIDE ridge that separates rivers that flow in one direction from rivers that flow in the opposite direction

ISTHMUS narrow strip of land joining to larger areas of land or joining a peninsula to main land

a body of h2o surrounded by land LAKE a body of h2o surrounded by land

place where a river empties into a MOUTH place where a river empties into a larger body of water

PENINSULA body of land jutting into a lake or ocean, surrounded on three sides by water

large natural stream of RIVER large natural stream of water that runs through the land

land drained or watered by a river RIVER VALLEY land drained or watered by a river

place where a river begins SOURCE place where a river begins

narrow channel that connects 2 larger bodies of water STRAIT narrow channel that connects 2 larger bodies of water

stream or small river that flows into a TRIBUTARY stream or small river that flows into a larger stream or river

OCEAN one of the four major bodies of salt water that surrounds the continents