Geography Definitions Flashcards
The elevation of an object in relationship to a given plane, often sea level
Altitude
A body of water interspersed with many isles
Archipelago
A long, narrow passage of water; a creek
Arm
A ring-shaped coral reef, island, or set of small islands nearly or completely surrounding a lagoon
Atoll
A steep slope of ground rising from a lake, a river, or the sea
Bank
A hollow place for water; an enclosed part of water, forming a broad space within a strait or narrow entrance; a little bay
Basin
An arm of the sea, extending into the land, smaller than a gulf and larger than a creek
Bay
A soggy, swampy, slow-moving body of water, obstructed by vegetation
Bayou
The shore of the sea or of a lake, washed by the tide and waves
Beach
A high bank, almost perpendicular, projecting into the sea
Bluff
Soft, wet ground covered with grass or other plants, too soft to bear a man
Bog
A smaller stream running into a larger one or proceeding from it
Branch
A rock that breaks the waves; a wave that breaks against a rock, a sand bank, or the shore, exhibition a white foam
Breakers
The edge, margin, or border of a steep place, as of a precipice or the bank of a river
Brink
A small natural stream of water; a current flowing from a spring
Brook
An artificial cut or passage for water used for transportation
Canal
A long, deep hollow with steep, rocky sides worn by a stream or torrent of water
Canyon
A head land; the head, point, or termination of a neck of land, extending some distance into the sea beyond the common shore
Cape
A hollow place in the earth; a subterraneous cavern; a den; may be natural or artificial
Cave
A deep, naturally hollow place in the earth, deeper than a cave
Cavern
An arm of the sea; a straight or narrow sea between two continents or between a continent and an isle
Channel
A cleft or fissure in a rock or the earth’s surface caused by a disrupture
Chasm
A cone-shaped hill of volcanic material surrounding an opening in the earth
Cinder cone
A high, steep almost vertical rock, usually on a coast
Cliff
A high, steep almost vertical rock, usually on a coast
Cliff
The edge or margin of the land next to the sea; the seashore
Coast
A great extent of land, not disjoined or interrupted by a sea
Continent
The edge of a continent that is submerged in water
Continental shelf
Any tract of land or inhabited lang; any region, as distinguished from other regions; a kingdom, state, or lesser district
Country
A small inlet or bay; a recess in the sea shore
Cove
A steep, rugged rock; a rough, broken rock or point of a rock
Crag
The aperture or mouth of a volcano
Crater
A small inlet; a recess in the shore of the sea or of a river; a small stream
Creek
Land prepared for crops
Cultivated land
A flowing or passing of water; a stream
Current
A low place between hills; a vale or valley
Dale
A bank or mound of earth; any wall or a frame of wood raised to obstruct a current of water
Dam
Dell
A small vale with woods
Delta
An area of triangular shape
Desert
A vast area of low precipitation, often sandy
Desert
A vast area of low precipitation, often a sandy plain
Dike
A ditch, a mound of earth, stones, or other materials intended to prevent lowlands from being inundated by a sea or a river
Divide
A ridge that determines the direction water drains for adjacent water systems; a watershed
Downstream
A direction a river flows; flowing with the current
Area drained by a river and its tributaries; a watershed
Drainage basin
Hill, mound, or ridge of sand formed by wind
Dune
The terraqueous globe that we inhabit
Earth
Elevated ground; a rising ground; a hill or mountain
Elevation
An arm of the sea; the mouth of a river or lake where the tide meets the current
Estuary
The point where rivers descend rapidly due to a distinct decline in elevation
Fall Line
A piece of land enclosed for tillage or pasture
Field
A long, narrow, deep valley formed by glacial erosion and flooded by ocean water
Fjord
A hill at the base of a mountain
Foothill
A place in a river or other water where it may be passed by man or beast on foot or by wading
Ford
An extensive wood; a large tract of land covered with trees
Forest
A field or an immense mass of ice formed in deep but elevated valleys, remaining frozen throughout the heat of summer
Glacier
A valley; a dale; a depression or space between hills
Glen
A narrow hollow with steep, rocky sides worn by a stream or torrent of water
Gorge
A wood of small extent
Grove
A small narrow hollow with steep walls worn by a stream or torrent of water
Gulch
A recess in the ocean from the general line of the shore into the land; a tract of water extending from the ocean or a sea into the land between two points or promontories; a large bay
Gulf
A poor or haven for ships; a bay or inlet of the sea where ships can moor
Harbor
