Geography Landform Terms

Question 1

island

Answer 1

an area of land completely surrounded by water

Question 2

archipelago

Answer 2

a large group or chain of islands

Question 3

cove

Answer 3

a small, sheltered bay in the shoreline of any body of water

Question 4

bay

Answer 4

a wide inlet of an ocean, sea, or lake that extends into the land–usually smaller than a gulf

Question 5

gulf

Answer 5

part of an ocean extending into the land and usually larger than a bay

Question 6

channel

Answer 6

a waterway connecting two bodies of water OR the deepest part of a river or waterway–deep enough to let boats sail through

Question 7

strait

Answer 7

a narrow body of water connecting two larger bodies of water (a narrow channel)

Question 8

canal

Answer 8

a man-made waterway used for navigation, irrigation, or drainage

Question 9

river

Answer 9

a large stream of water that flows into a lake, or ocean, or other body of water

Question 10

ocean

Answer 10

one of the 4 largest connecting bodies of salt water on the earth’s surface

Question 11

sea

Answer 11

a large body of salty water that is often connected to the ocean; may be partially or completely surrounded by land

Question 12

lake

Answer 12

a body of water completely surrounded by land

Question 13

swamp

Answer 13

low wet land that supports grass and trees

Question 14

reef

Answer 14

a ridge of rocks or coral in a body of water, which lies slightly below, or at surface

Question 15

isthmus

Answer 15

a narrow piece of land connecting two larger pieces of land; has water on two sides

Question 16

cape

Answer 16

a fairly large, narrow, pointed piece of land extending into a body of water

Question 17

peninsula

Answer 17

a piece of land surrounded on three sides by water

Question 18

volcano

Answer 18

an opening in the earth’s crust through which lava can flow, often building a mountain

Question 19

mountain

Answer 19

landform with fairly steep slopes, small summits, elevation of 2000+ feet

Question 20

mountain range

Answer 20

a long connected chain of mountains or hills

Question 21

hill

Answer 21

landform arising from surrounding land–elevation from 500 to 2000 feet

Question 22

pass

Answer 22

a passage through or over mountains or hills

Question 23

valley

Answer 23

low land between hills or mountains

Question 24

peak

Answer 24

the pointed top of a mountain

Question 25

summit

Answer 25

the highest part of a hill or mountain

Question 26

plateau

Answer 26

a high, flat landform with steep sides; larger than a mesa

Question 27

mesa

Answer 27

a flat-topped rocky hill with steeply sloping sides–usually occur in dry areas

Question 28

rainforest

Answer 28

a forest located in equatorial zones with unvarying warm temperatures , high humidity, and almost daily rainfall–annual rainfall of at least 100 inches

Question 29

jungle

Answer 29

area of dense, thick-matted tropical growth

Question 30

waterfall

Answer 30

a flow of water falling from a high place to a low place

Question 31

desert

Answer 31

a large area of land with little or no moisture or vegetation

Question 32

fjord

Answer 32

a long, deep, narrow inlet of the sea bordered by steep cliffs

Question 33

glacier

Answer 33

a sheet of ice, usually at high elevations, which moves slowly over land or a valley

Question 34

iceberg

Answer 34

a massive block of floating ice broken away from a glacier