Landforms

A landform is a natural feature of the earth’s surface. Mountains, hills, valleys, plains, and plateaus are all examples of landforms.

Oceans, rivers, lakes, and seas are also landforms.

Continent A continent is a huge body of land. There are seven continents on earth.

Mountain A mountain is a raised part of the earth’s surface. It rises up steeply and can be several thousand feet high. The top of a mountain is called a peak.

Appalachian Mountains

Rocky Mountains

hills Hills are gently raised land that have a rounded top. They are not as high as mountains.

Prairie / Plain A prairie is a large, relatively flat treeless piece of land.

The Great Plains

valley A valley is found between two higher pieces of land, such as hills.

Island An island is a piece of land that is completely surrounded by water.

Peninsula A peninsula is land that nearly surrounded by water. The state of Florida is a peninsula.

Plateau A plateau is a high piece of land that has steep sides and a flat top.

Canyon A canyon is a very steep valley with very steep sides. Canyons are formed by rivers that cut into the land.

Ocean An ocean is a very large body of salt water. There are four oceans found on the earth. Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Arctic

Lake A lake is a body of water that land all around it. Most lakes contain Fresh water.

River A river is a long narrow body of water that flows through the land. The Mississippi River is the longest river in the United States