Landform List
1. Basin – area of land surrounded by lands of higher elevation…usually water
filled.
2. Bay – part of a large body of water that extends into a shoreline, smaller than a
gulf.
3. Canyon – deep and narrow valley with steep walls.
4. Cape – point of land that extends into a river, lake, or ocean
5. Channel – wide strait or waterway between two landmasses that lie close to each
other.
6. Cliff – steep, high wall of rock, earth, or ice.
7. Delta – flat, low lying land built up from soil carried downstream by a river and
deposited at its mouth
8. Glacier – large, thick body of slow moving ice.
9. Gulf – part of a large body of water that extends into a shoreline, more deeply
indented than a bay.
10. Harbor – a sheltered place along a shoreline where ships can anchor.
11. Hill – elevated land with sloping sides and rounded top.
12. Island – land area completely surrounded by water.
13. Isthmus – narrow stretch of land connecting 2 larger land areas.
14. Mesa – broad, flat-topped landform with steep sides, smaller than a plateau.
15. Mountain – land with steep sides that rises sharply from surrounding land. Larger
and more rugged than a hill.
16. Peninsula – body of land surrounded by water on 3 sides.
17. Plain – area of level land, usually a low elevation and often covered with grasses.
18. Plateau – area of flat or rolling land at a high elevation.
19. Sea – large body of water completely surrounded by land.
20. Seacoast – land lying next to a sea or ocean.
21. Source (of a river) – place where a river begins, often in highlands.
22. Strait – narrow stretch of water joining two larger bodies of water.
23. Tributary – small river or stream that flows into a larger river or stream.
24. Valley – area of low land between hills or mountains.
25. Volcano – mountain created as liquid rock or ash erupts from inside the earth.