Reference Atlas

Question 1

archipelago

Answer 1

a group of islands

Question 2

basin

Answer 2

an area of land drained by a given river and its branches; area of land surrounded by lands of higher elevations

Question 3

Bay

Answer 3

part of a large body of water that extends into a shoreline, generally smaller than a gulf

Question 4

canyon

Answer 4

deep and narrow valley with steep walls

Question 5

cape

Answer 5

point of land that extends into a river, lake, or ocean

Question 6

channel

Answer 6

wide strait or waterway between two landmasses that lie close to each other; deep part of a river or other waterway

Question 7

Cliff

Answer 7

steep, high wall of rock, earth, or ice

Question 8

Continent

Answer 8

one of the seven large landmasses on the Earth

Question 9

delta

Answer 9

flat, low-lying land built up from soil carried downstream by a river and deposited at its mouth

Question 10

Divide

Answer 10

stretch of high land that separates river systems

Question 11

downstream

Answer 11

direction in which a river or stream flows from its source to its mouth

Question 12

escarpment

Answer 12

steep cliff or slope between a higher and lower land surface

Question 13

glacier

Answer 13

large, thick body of slowly moving ice

Question 14

gulf

Answer 14

part of a large body of water that extends into a shoreline, generally larger and more deeply indented than a bay

Question 15

highland

Answer 15

elevated land area such as a hill, mountain, or plateau

Question 16

harbor

Answer 16

a sheltered place along a shoreline where ships can anchor safely

Question 17

hill

Answer 17

elevated land with sloping sides and rounded summit; generally smaller than a mountain

Question 18

island

Answer 18

land area, smaller than a continent, completely surrounded by water

Question 19

isthmus

Answer 19

narrow stretch of land connecting two larger land areas

Question 20

lowland

Answer 20

land, usually level, at a low elevation

Question 20

lake

Answer 20

a sizable inland body of water

Question 21

mountain

Answer 21

land with steep sides that rises sharply (1,000 feet or more) from surrounding land; generally larger and more rugged than a hill

Question 21

mesa

Answer 21

broad, flat-topped lanform with steep sides; smaller than a plateau

Question 22

mountain peak

Answer 22

pointed top of a mountain

Question 23

mountain range

Answer 23

a series of connected mountains

Question 24

mouth

Answer 24

(of a river) place where a stream or river flows into a larger body of water

Question 25

oasis

Answer 25

small area in a desert where water and vegetation are found

Question 26

ocean

Answer 26

one of the four major bodies of salt water that surround the continents

Question 27

ocean current

Answer 27

stream of either cold or warm water that moves in a definite direction through an ocean

Question 28

peninsula

Answer 28

body of land jutting into a lake or ocean, surrounded on three sides by water

Question 29

physical feature

Answer 29

characteristic of a place occurring naturally, such as a landform, body of water, climate pattern, or resource

Question 30

plain

Answer 30

area of level land, usually at low elevation and often covered with grasses

Question 31

reef

Answer 31

a chain of rocks, coral or sand at or near the surface of the water

Question 31

plateau

Answer 31

area of flat or rolling land at a high elevation, about 300 to 3,000 feet (90 to 900 m) high

Question 32

river

Answer 32

large natural stream of water that runs through the land

Question 33

sound

Answer 33

broad inland body of water, often between a coastline and one or more islands off the coast

Question 33

sea

Answer 33

large body of water completely or partly surrounded by land

Question 33

source

Answer 33

(of a river) place where a river or stream begins, often in highlands

Question 34

seacoast

Answer 34

land lying next to a sea or an ocean

Question 35

strait

Answer 35

narrow stretch of water joining two larger bodies of water

Question 36

tributary

Answer 36

small river or stream that flows into a large river or stream; a branch of the river

Question 37

upstream

Answer 37

direction opposite the flow of a river; toward the source of a river or stream

Question 38

valley

Answer 38

area of low land usually between hills or mountains

Question 39

volcano

Answer 39

mountain or hill created as liquid rock and ash erupt from inside the Earth