1. Landforms & Water forms
6th grade social studies

2. ARCHIPELAGO a group of islands

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

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

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

6. CANAL a man-made waterway

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

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

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

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

12. DESERT a large land area that receives very little rainfall

13. ISLAND a piece of land surrounded by water

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

15. Isthmus of Panama

16. MOUNTAIN land that rises much higher than the land around it

17. MOUNTAIN RANGE row of mountains that are joined together

18. PENINSULA land surrounded by water on three sides

19. PLAIN a large, flat land area

20. PLATEAU a large, high land area that is generally flat

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

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

23. VALLEY the lower land between hills or mountains.

24. 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.

25. BAY arm of a sea or lake extending into the land

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

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

28. 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

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

30. 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.

31. 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.

32. 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

33. 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.

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

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