LANDFORMS
TRIBUTARY
A river or stream flowing into a
larger river or lake
OASIS
An area in a desert where there
is water and plants
HARBOR
A sheltered part of a body of
water deep enough to provide
anchorage for ships
PLATEAU
A large elevated, comparatively
level expense of land
MOUNTAIN RANGE
A series of adjoining mountains
or of lines of mountains of
similar origin
MOUNTAIN
A natural elevation of the earth,
generally steep sides, and
height greater than that of a hill
CANYON
A narrow chasm with steep cliff
walls, cut into the earth by
running water; a gorge
VALLEY
An area of low land between
hills or mountains
GLACIER
A large body of ice moving
slowly down a slope or Valley
DELTA
A piece of land shaped like a triangle
that is formed when a river splits into
smaller rivers before it flows into an
ocean
PLAIN
An extensive area of level or
rolling treeless country
SEA
The saltwater that covers much of
the earth’s surface often with
land around part or all of it
PENINSULA
A piece of land that is almost entirely
surrounded by water and is attached
to a larger land area (has water on
three sides)
ISLAND
A tract of land surrounded by
water and smaller than a
continent
ARCHIPELAGO
A group of islands
MOUTH
The place where a river or stream
enters a larger body of water
STRAIT
A narrow passage of water that
connects two large bodies of
water
ISTHMUS
And narrow area of land that
connects to larger land areas
GULF
A large area of ocean that is
partly surrounded by land
OCEAN
The saltwater that covers much
of the earth’s surface
VOLCANO
The mountain with a hole in the top or
side that sometimes sends out rock,
ash, lava, etc., and a sudden
explosion
DESERT
Very dry land with sparse
vegetation
REEF
A strip or ridge of rocks, sand, or
coral that rises near the surface
of a body of water
DUNE
A hill of sand near an ocean or in
a desert that has been formed
by the wind