Geographic Terms Land and Water Forms

You will be creating your own country soon. In addition to taking notes, you will draw a visual of each term given. It will help your grade on this project.

Valley Space between hills or mountains Depression in the surface of the land Yosemite Valley

Isthmus Narrow strip of land with water on both sides, connecting 2 larger land areas Example: Panama connects North and South America

Mountain Range Series of hills or mountains Example: Himalayas Picture taken from International Space Station

Strait Narrow channel of the sea joining 2 bodies of water Example: Strait of Gibraltar joins Atlantic Ocean to Mediterranean Sea Morocco Spain Atlantic Mediterranean

Delta Flat, low-lying plain, sometimes formed at the end of a river, usually triangular shaped Nile River Delta of Egypt  Nile River Delta

Peninsula Land surrounded by water on 3 sides Florida Peninsula Sinai Peninsula

Plateau High flatland Plateau in the Grand Canyon

Canyon “hollow tube” between mountains Example: The Grand Canyon of Arizona

Gulf Large body of water (part of ocean or sea) that is partly enclosed by land Gulf of Mexico

Lake Body of water (usually fresh water) that is surrounded by land Lake Victoria of Africa

Archipelago Group of islands Examples: Virgin Islands of the Caribbean

Basin The land drained by a river; land surrounded by higher land. In some cases a basin has a lake that has no outlet to the ocean. Example = Death Valley Basin

Bay An inlet of the sea or other body of water, usually smaller than a gulf but of the same general character; part of a body of water that extends into land.

Cape An extension of land jutting into the water, usually smaller or thinner than a peninsula. Cape Cod, USA

Island body of land smaller than a continent and surrounded by water. Islands in the Caribbean

Plain A large area of level or nearly level land. Example: Plain in Mexico

River A large natural stream of water flowing in a channel to the sea, a lake, or another stream.

Sea A body of salt water that is smaller than an ocean. The Caribbean Sea