Glossary of Geographic Terms
alluvial fan
archipelago
basin
bay
butte
canal
a fan-shaped deposit of sediment formed at the point
where a stream enters a valley or plain or another
larger stream
a group or chain of islands clustered together in a sea
or ocean
an area that is lower than surrounding land areas;
some basins are filled with water
a body of water that is partly surrounded by land and
that is connected to a larger body of water
a flat-topped rock or hill formation with steep sides
cartographer
a man-made waterway used for transportation or
irrigation
a deep valley with very steep sides-often carved from
the Earth by a river
a pointed piece of land that sticks out into a sea,
ocean, lake, or river
a map maker
cartography
the study and construction of maps
cataract
a large waterfall or steep rapids
cliff
a steep face of rock and soil
delta
a low, watery land formed at the mouth of a river. It
is formed from the silt, sand, and small rocks that
flow downstream in the river and are deposited in the
delta.
canyon
cape
dune
estuary
fiord
flood plain
geyser
a hill or a ridge made of sand. Dunes are shaped by
wind and change over time.
is where the river meets the sea or ocean
a long, narrow sea inlet that is bordered by steep
cliffs
a broad plain on either side of a river, formed where
sediment settles during floods
geography
a natural hot spring that occasionally sprays water
and steam above the ground
the study of the Earth’s surface
glacier
a huge, slow moving mass of snow and ice
GPS
Global Positioning System-it gets your exact longitude
and latitude from orbiting satellites.
an area that rises above surrounding land and has a
rounded top; lower and usually less steep than a
mountain
an area of land completely surrounded by water
hill
island
isthmus
legend
marsh
mesa
mountain
a narrow strip of land that connects two larger areas
of land
(also called the key) a small table accompanying the
map that explains the symbols that are used
freshwater or saltwater wetland found along rivers,
ponds, lakes, and coasts
a high, flat-topped land form with cliff-like sides;
larger than a butte
a very tall, high, natural place on Earth-higher than a
hill. The highest mountain is Mt. Everest.
mountain pass
a gap between mountains
oasis
a place in the desert that has water and is fertile
peninsula
a body of land that is surrounded by water on three
sides
flat lands that have only small changes in elevation
plain
plateau
reservoir
river mouth
source
strait
swamp
tributary
tropics
tundra
valley
volcano
wetland
a large, flat area of land that is higher than
surrounding land
a man-made lake used to store water for future use
the point where a river enters a lake or sea
the beginning of a river
a narrow body of water that connects two bodies of
water
a type of freshwater wetland that has spongy, muddy
land and a lot of water
a stream or river that flows into a larger river
the warm, equatorial region between the Tropic of
Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn
a cold, treeless area
a low place between mountains
an opening in Earth’s surface through which molten
rock, ashes, and gases escape from the interior
An area of land that is often wet; swamp, bog, marsh,
moor