The Language of Landforms….

What are landforms? Landforms are the natural shapes or features of land. When we learn about the landscape of the earth, we are practicing to be topographers!

Mountain A mountain is a landform that is much higher than the land around it. Mountains are steeper than hills and the top usually forms a peak!                                      

Valley A valley is a lowland area between higher lands such as mountains. Some valleys have a river or stream flowing through them!                                                           

plain A plain is a flat area with few trees.

canyon A canyon is a deep valley or gorge with very steep sides.                                                         

pLATEAu A plateau is a flat area higher than the land around it. This looks like a mountain with no peak!

mESa A is a flat-topped hill with steep sides. ‘Mesa’ is a Spanish word that means ‘table’ in English! buTTe A butte is an isolated hill with a flat top. It is similar to a mesa but more narrow.

desert A desert is dry, barren, and the ground is made mostly of sand. Very few species of plants and animals can survive.

island An island is land that is completely surrounded by water. peninsula A peninsula is a body of land that is connected to a mainland and surrounded by water on three sides.

ocean and sea Oceans are made of salt water and cover the majority of Earth’s surface. An ocean can also be called a sea.

coast A coast is the area where the ocean touches the land.

bay A bay is formed when the coast of an ocean curves into the land. The water in a bay is often calm since the surrounding land blocks wind from forming large waves. gulf A gulf is a large bay that connects to an ocean. Look for the Gulf of Mexico on a U.S. map!

river A river is a large body of moving water that begins at a source and flows to the end, which is called a mouth. canal Canals are man-made pathways of water that allow boats and ships to travel from one body of water to another, usually on a river.

strait A strait is a naturally occuring passage way between two bodies of water that is wide and deep enough for a water vessel to travel through. isthmus An isthmus is a narrow strip of land that connects two larger areas of land, usually with water on both sides!

stream Streams are also moving bodies of water. Streams begin at a source and usually flow into a larger body of water such as a river or lake all of which end in a delta. delta Deltas are the triangle shaped deposit of sediments that forms at the mouth of a river. From a delta, the water usually flows into another body of water.