basic geography terms

BASIC

GEOGRAPHY

TERMS

It’s a group of

islands.

The Canary

Islands and

the Balearic

Islands are

examples of

archipelagos.

ARCHIPELAGO

BAY

It’s a body of water

that is partially

enclosed by land.

An example is the

bay of Biscay.

BAY

BEACH It’s the part of the shore of an ocean,

sea, large river, lake, etc., washed by

the tide or waves.

CANYON It’s a deep

gorge, often

created by

a stream or

river.

The Grand

Canyon is

the most

popular.

CAPEIt’s a point or

head of land

projecting into

a body of

water.  

Cape

Finisterre is in

Galicia.

CAVEIt’s a hollow in

the earth,

especially

opening more or

less horizontally

into a hill,

mountain, etc.

CHANNELIt’s a length of

water wider than

a strait joining

two large areas of

water, such as

seas.

The English

Channel is in

Europe.

CLIFFIt’s a steep rock-face near to the sea.

The Cliffs of Moher in Ireland are

enormous!

DELTAIt’s a triangular tract

of sediment

deposited at the

mouth of a river,

typically where it

diverges into several

outlets.

The Nile ends in a

large delta that empt

ies into the

Mediterranean Sea.

DESERT

It’s a dry area

of land that

gets very little

rain.

Atacama desert

is in Chile.

FOREST It’s a large

area of trees.

GEYSERIt’s a hot spring

in which water

intermittently

boils, sending a

tall column of

hot water and

steam into the

air.

GLACIERIt’s a slowly moving mass of ice

formed by the accumulation and

compaction of snow on mountains

or near the poles.

GRASSLANDIt’s a large area of grass-covered

land, especially used for pasturage.

GULFIt’s a deep inlet of the

sea almost

surrounded by land,

with a narrow mouth.

HILLIt’s a

naturally

raised area

of land.

It’s not as

high as a

mountain.

ICEBERG

It’s a large mass of ice floating into the sea.

ISLAND

It’s a piece of land surrounded by water.

ISTHMUS

It’s a narrow

strip of land

with sea on

either side,

linking two

larger areas of

land.

JUNGLEIt’s an area of land with dense forest

and tangled vegetation, typically

found in tropical areas.

LAKE

It’s a large area of water surrounded by land.

MARSH

It’s an area of low-lying land which is

flooded in wet seasons or at high tide, and

typically remains waterlogged at all times.

MOUNTAINIt’s an elevation of the earth's surface

rising abruptly and to a large height

from the surrounding level.

o It’s higher

than a hill.

OCEANIt’s a large

mass of

water.

It’s larger

than a sea.

PENINSULA It’s a piece of land surrounded by water

except by one side.

PLAIN

It’s a large area of flat land with few trees.

PLATEAUIt’s a flat area

of high ground.

RIVERIt’s a large

natural flow of

water travelling

along a channel

to the sea, a

lake, or another

river.

Rivers usually form

meanders in their

middle course.

SEAIt’s a mass of salt

water smaller than

an ocean.

STRAITIt’s a

narrow

passage of

water

connecting

two seas or

other large

areas of

water.

STREAM

It’s a small, narrow river.

TUNDRAIt’s a vast, flat, treeless Arctic region of

Europe, Asia and North America in

which the subsoil is permanently frozen.

VOLCANOIt’s a

mountain or

hill having a

crater or vent

through

which lava,

rock

fragments,hot vapour, and gas are or have been

erupted to the earth's crust.

WATERFALL

It’s a cascade

of water falling

from a height,

formed when a

river or stream

flows over a

precipice.