SOSE – Geography – Landforms and their descriptions P a g e | 1

SOSE Geography

Landforms and their descriptions

Landforms Description

1 Arch This landform is an elongated lowland between ranges of mountains, hills or other uplands, often having a river or stream running along the bottom.

2 Archipelago This landform is a chain of islands.

3 Atoll

This landform is basically an island that is constructed of coral and encircles a lagoon. It is considered one of the most beautiful of formations to be found in warm waters; most often in tropical sections of the Pacific and Indian oceans.

4 Basin This landform is a large, bowl shaped depression in the surface of the land, often drained by a single river.

5 Bay This landform is part of a body of salt water that reaches into the land; usually smaller than a gulf.

6 Beach This landform is a coastal landform consisting of deposits of sediments that run parallel to the shore.

7 Blowhole This landform is formed as sea caves grow landwards and upwards into vertical shafts and expose themselves towards the surface, which can result in blasts of water from the top of the blowhole.

8 Breakwater This landform is a structure built to break the force of the waves or stop the erosion of a beach.

9 Butte This landform is a hill that rises abruptly from the surrounding area and has sloping sides and a flat top.

10 Canal This landform is a man-made waterway connecting two bodies of water and is designed to shorten travel time or irrigate.

11 Canyon This landform is a narrow valley with steep sides; usually created by erosion.

12 Cape This landform is a curved or hooked piece of land extending into a body of water.

13 Cataract This landform is a large or high waterfall.

14 Cave This landform is a large hole in the ground or in the side of a hill or mountain.

15 Cirque This landform is bowl-shaped depression formed by snow and ice; found on mountains in glaciated areas.

16 Cliffs These landforms are steep faces of rock and soil.

17 Coast This landform is land along the sea or ocean.

18 Continent This landform is a very large land mass.

19 Coral Reefs These landforms help prevent erosion of beaches, provide breeding and feeding grounds for marine life and control carbon dioxide in the water.

20 Cove This landform is small, horseshoe-shaped body of water along the coast; the water is surrounded by land formed of soft rock.

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21 Dam This landform is a wall built across a stream or river to hold back water.

22 Delta This landform is a place at the river’s mouth, where the river spits into many different sections, forming a marshy triangle.

23 Desert This landform is an area with very little rainfall or vegetation.

24 Escarpment This landform is an extended ridge of high land often with a steep slope on one side and a gently slope on the other.

25 Fjord (Fiord)

This landform is a long, narrow inlet of the sea, bordered by steep cliffs, and carved by glacial action.

26 Forest This landform is a large tract of land covered with trees and underbrush; extensive wooded area.

27 Geyser This landform is a natural hot spring that occasionally sprays water and steam above the ground.

28 Glacier This landform is a huge mass of ice slowly flowing over a land mass.

29 Gulf This landform is a large area of a sea or ocean partially enclosed by land.

30 Harbour This landform is a sheltered part of a body of water deep enough to provide anchorage for ships.

31 Headland This landform is a point of land or promontory that juts out into the sea.

32 Hill This landform is a raised part of the earth’s surface with sloping sides; an old mountain which because of erosion has become rounder and shorter.

33 Iceberg This landform is a large floating piece of ice that has broken away from an ice shelf or a glacier.

34 Inlet This landform is a small part of a body of water (lake, sea) that reaches into a coast.

35 Island This landform is a piece of land completely surrounded by water.

36 Isthmus This landform is a narrow strip of land, like a bridge, connecting two larger strips of land.

37 Lagoon This landform is a shallow body of water that is located alongside a coast.

38 Lake This landform is a large inland body of fresh water or salt water.

39 Marsh This landform is an area of soft, wet, low lying land, with grassy vegetation, often forming a transition zone between water and land.

40 Mesa This landform is a broad, flat topped elevation with one or more cliff-like sides.

41 Moraine This landform is an accumulation of boulders, stones, or other debris carried and deposited by a glacier.

42 Mountain This landform is a high, rocky land, usually with steep sides and a pointed or rounded top, higher than a hill.

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43 Oasis This landform is a fertile place in the desert where there is water and some vegetation.

44 Ocean This landform is the largest body of salt water; these cover ¾ of the earth’s surface.

45 Peninsula This landform is a piece of land that extends into a body of water and is surrounded on three sides by water.

46 Plains These landforms are broad, flat or gently rolling areas; usually low in elevation.

47 Plateau This landform is a flat highland area with one steep face; an elevated plain.

48 Prairie This landform is an extensive area of flat or rolling, mostly treeless grassland.

49 Rapids These landforms are a part of a river, generally shallow, where the currents move swiftly over rocks.

50 Reservoir This landform is a man-made lake that is primarily used for storing water.

51 River This landform is a large natural stream of water emptying into an ocean, lake or other body of water.

52 Sea This landform is a large body of water, usually salt water, partly or completely surrounded by land.

53 Sea Stack This landform is a block of erosion-resistant rock isolated from the land by sea.

54 Steppe This landform is a vast grass covered plain.

55 Strait This landform is a narrow channel of water joining two larger bodies of water.

56 Swamp This landform is an area of land that is always soaked with water; low, wet land that supports grass and trees.

57 Tombolo This landform is a natural bridge that is formed when sand is deposited between the shoreline and an island.

58 Valley This landform is an elongated lowland between ranges of mountains, hills or other uplands, often having a river or stream running along the bottom.

59 Volcano This landform is 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.

60 Waterfall This landform is when a river falls off steeply; a place where running water makes a sheer drop, usually over a cliff.