LANDFORMS

TRIBUTARY A river or stream flowing into a larger river or lake

OASIS An area in a desert where there is water and plants

HARBOR A sheltered part of a body of water deep enough to provide anchorage for ships

PLATEAU A large elevated, comparatively level expense of land

MOUNTAIN RANGE A series of adjoining mountains or of lines of mountains of similar origin

MOUNTAIN A natural elevation of the earth, generally steep sides, and height greater than that of a hill

CANYON A narrow chasm with steep cliff walls, cut into the earth by running water; a gorge

VALLEY An area of low land between hills or mountains

GLACIER A large body of ice moving slowly down a slope or Valley

DELTA A piece of land shaped like a triangle that is formed when a river splits into smaller rivers before it flows into an ocean

PLAIN An extensive area of level or rolling treeless country

SEA The saltwater that covers much of the earth’s surface often with land around part or all of it

PENINSULA A piece of land that is almost entirely surrounded by water and is attached to a larger land area (has water on three sides)

ISLAND A tract of land surrounded by water and smaller than a continent

ARCHIPELAGO A group of islands

MOUTH The place where a river or stream enters a larger body of water

STRAIT A narrow passage of water that connects two large bodies of water

ISTHMUS And narrow area of land that connects to larger land areas

GULF A large area of ocean that is partly surrounded by land

OCEAN The saltwater that covers much of the earth’s surface

VOLCANO The mountain with a hole in the top or side that sometimes sends out rock, ash, lava, etc., and a sudden explosion

DESERT Very dry land with sparse vegetation

REEF A strip or ridge of rocks, sand, or coral that rises near the surface of a body of water

DUNE A hill of sand near an ocean or in a desert that has been formed by the wind