Landforms
By: Miss Scheftic
Mountains
• Definition: landforms that rise above the surrounding
terrain
• Generally higher than 600 meters
• 3 parts:
– Summit
– Slope
– Base
• They exist on every continent in the world
Plateau
• Definition: large flat area of land that rises thousands
of feet in the air
• They are sometimes surrounded by mountains
• The flat part can spread for hundreds or thousands
of kilometers
• They form when mountains are worn down or when
a large flat portion of the earth is pushed up
• They cover 45% of the earth’s land surface
Valley
• Definition: a low area of land between hills or
mountains
• Usually have a river or stream flowing through
it
• 2 different shapes/kinds of valleys
– V shaped: caused by erosion and rivers
– U shaped: formed by glaciers moving
• Most valleys are usually U-shaped
Savanna (plain)
• Definition: rolling grassland scattered with
shrubs and a few trees
• Have only 2 seasons:
– A very long dry winter
– A very wet summer
• They can be found in:
– Africa
– South America
– Northern Australia
Source:
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/savanna.htm
Delta
• Located at the mouth of a river
• It forms when mud, silt, sand and gravel settle
to the bottom of a river at its mouth
• Usually occurs when the river enters a large
body of calm water
• They exist all over the world except at the
poles
River
• Definition: body of fresh water moving over
the earth
• Bigger than streams
• Can be both natural and man-made
• Rivers empty into larger bodies of water
• They flow from a higher elevation to a lower
elevation
Lakes
• Definition: bodies of freshwater surrounded
by land
• Range in size from less than one acre to
several thousand acres
• Usually fed by rivers
Peninsula
• Definition: elongated shape of land that
projects out into a body of water
• Almost completely surrounded by water
• Can be found all over the world:
– Florida
– Mexico’s Baja peninsula
– Peloponnesian peninsula
– Arabian peninsula
Island
• Definition: a piece of land surrounded by the
sea on all sides
• 2 different kinds of islands
– Continental: have the same plants and animals as
the continent near it
– Oceanic: have completely different plants and
animals
• Some are volcanoes that have built up under
the ocean
Bay
• Definition: a body of water partially
surrounded by land
• Connects to the sea
• Smaller than a gulf
• Some examples include:
– San Francisco bay
– Hudson Bay
– Chesapeake Bay
Wetlands
(swamps)
• Definition: areas where water covers the soil, or is at
or near the surface of the soil all year
• Found on every continent except for Antarctica
• Contains water that is static or flowing, fresh,
brackish or salt
• Several different kinds:
– Tidal or coastal: found along the Atlantic, Pacific, Alaskan,
and Gulf coasts
– Non-tidal or inland: most common on floodplains along
rivers and streams
Highlands
• Definition: a hilly or mountainous high area of
a country
• The most famous ones are the Scottish
Highlands
Basin
• An area of land where surface water from rain,
melting snow, or ice meet at a single point
• Then the water joins another body like a
river, lake, reservoir, wetland, sea, or ocean
Mouth of the River
• Definition: the opening of a river where the
water flows into another body of water
• Where the delta is formed
River Source
• Definition: the original point from which the
river flows
• Or the place where the river begins
– Can be a lake, a marsh, a spring, or a glacier