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word definition picture absolute location

exact location of a place on the earth, described by global coordinates

archipelago a group of small islands

atlas a book of maps

bay a part of the sea that is partly enclosed by a

curve in the land, generally smaller than a gulf

cave a large natural hole in the side of a cliff or hill,

or under the ground

canyon a deep valley with very steep sides of rock that

usually has a river running through it

canal a long passage dug into the ground and filled

with water, either for boats to travel along, or to take water to a place

Illustrated Glossary of Geography Terms

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channel an wide strait or waterway that connects two larger areas of water; the deepest part of a river, harbor, or sea, especially where it is deep enough to allow ships to sail in

cliff a large area of rock or a mountain with a very

steep side, often at the edge of the sea or a river

continents the seven large land masses on the earth

crater a round hole in the ground made by

something that has fallen on it or by an explosion; the round open top of a volcano

dam a special wall built across a river or stream to

stop the water from flowing, especially in order to make a lake or reservoir or to produce electricity

delta flat, low-lying land built up from soil carried

downstream by a river and deposited at its mouth

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desert a large region of land where it is always very hot and dry, and there is a lot of sand

downstream in the direction that the water in a river or stream is flowing

elevation the height of a place above the level of the sea

Equator an imaginary line drawn around the middle of the Earth that is exactly the same distance from the North Pole and the South Pole

forest a large region of land that is covered with

trees

glacier a large mass of ice which moves slowly down a

mountain valley

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grasslands a large region of land covered with wild grass (also: prairie)

gulf a large area of sea partly enclosed by land,

generally larger and more deeply indented than a bay

harbor an area of water next to the land where the

water is calm, so that ships are safe when they are inside it, usually refers to a man-made structure

hill an area of land that is higher than the land

around it, with sloping sides and rounded top, generally smaller than a mountain

island piece of land, smaller than a continent, that is

completely surrounded by water

lake a large area of fresh water surrounded by land

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latitude the distance north or south of the Equator, measured in degrees

longitude the distance east or west of the Prime

Meridian, measured in degrees

map a drawing of a particular area, for example a

city or country, which shows its main features, such as its roads, rivers, mountains, etc.

mesa a hill with a flat top and steep sides, in the

southwestern US, said to look like a table, smaller than a plateau (mesa = table, in Spanish)

mountain land with steep sides that rise sharply (1,000

feet or more) from surrounding land; generally larger and more rough than a hill

mountain peak the top of a mountain

mountain range

a group of mountains, usually in a line

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mouth (of a river)

the part of a river where it joins the sea

ocean one of the four major areas of salt water on

the Earth's surface that surround the continents

peninsula a body of land that is surrounded by water on

three sides

physical feature

a natural part of the land; landforms & bodies of water

plains a large region of flat dry land, usually a low elevation and often covered with grasses

plateau a large area of flat land that is higher than the

land around it

port a place where ships can be loaded and

unloaded

Prime Meridian

the imaginary line drawn from north to south on the earth, from which east and west are measured in degrees on a map

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relative location

where a particular place is, in relation to other areas, buildings, etc.

relief (map) if you show a part of the Earth's surface in

relief, you show the differences in height between different parts of it (elevation)

river a large, flowing body of water that usually empties into a sea or ocean

river bank the land next to a river

sea a large body of salty water that is completely

or partly surrounded by land

shore the land along the edge of a large area of

water such as an ocean or lake

source (of a river)

the place where a stream or river starts

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strait a narrow body of water that connects two larger bodies of water, generally more narrow than a channel

stream a natural flow of water that moves across the

land and is narrower than a river

upstream along a river, in the opposite direction from

the way the water is flowing

valley an area of lower land between two lines of

hills or mountains, usually with a river flowing through it

volcano 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.

waterfall a place where water from a river or stream falls down over a cliff or rock