Landforms & Water forms 6th grade social studies

ARCHIPELAGO a group of islands

BASIN Rainforest- a dense, tropical region near the equator that receives at least 120 inches of rain per year

BUTTE a raised, flat area of land with steep cliffs, smaller than a mesa

MESA a wide flat topped mountain with steep sides, found mostly in dry areas

CANAL a man-made waterway

Canyon A canyon is a deep and narrow valley with very steep sides - often carved from the Earth by a river.

CAPE a hook-like piece of land extending out from the coastline into a sea or lake

Cliff a steep wall or face of rock, soil or ice.

DELTA a triangular area of land formed by deposits at the mouth of a river

DESERT a large land area that receives very little rainfall

ISLAND a piece of land surrounded by water

ISTHMUS a narrow piece of land that joins two larger sections of land

Isthmus of Panama

MOUNTAIN land that rises much higher than the land around it

MOUNTAIN RANGE row of mountains that are joined together

PENINSULA land surrounded by water on three sides

PLAIN a large, flat land area

PLATEAU a large, high land area that is generally flat

TUNDRA a vast treeless plain with a layer of permanently frozen soil several inches below the surface

Long cold winters and short cool summers Tundra in the Fall Long cold winters and short cool summers

VALLEY the lower land between hills or mountains.

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.

BAY arm of a sea or lake extending into the land

CHANNEL deepest part of a river, harbor, or other waterway, often dredged and maintained as a passage for boats and ships

Fjord A fjord is a steep-sided valley cut into mountains by the action of glaciers such as in Norway

GULF a large area of water that lies within a curved coastline GULF a large area of water that lies within a curved coastline. Larger than a bay, smaller than a sea

Lake A lake is a large body of water surrounded by land on all sides, usually fresh water not salt.

Ocean One out of Five (5) large bodies of salt water that surrounds a continent. Oceans cover more the two-thirds of the Earth's surface.

River A river is a large, natural stream that runs through the land, a flowing body of water that usually empties into a sea or ocean.

SEA a large body of salt water nearly or partly surrounded by land SEA a large body of salt water nearly or partly surrounded by land. Smaller than an ocean

A source is the beginning of a river, often found in the highlands. Source (of a river) A source is the beginning of a river, often found in the highlands.

STRAIT a narrow channel of water connecting two larger bodies of water

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