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Landforms
By: Miss Scheftic
Mountains
• Definition: landforms that rise above the surrounding terrain
• Generally higher than 600 meters• 3 parts:– Summit– Slope– Base
• They exist on every continent in the world
Plateau
• Definition: large flat area of land that rises thousands of feet in the air
• They are sometimes surrounded by mountains• The flat part can spread for hundreds or thousands of
kilometers• They form when mountains are worn down or when
a large flat portion of the earth is pushed up• They cover 45% of the earth’s land surface
Valley
• Definition: a low area of land between hills or mountains
• Usually have a river or stream flowing through it
• 2 different shapes/kinds of valleys–V shaped: caused by erosion and rivers–U shaped: formed by glaciers moving
• Most valleys are usually U-shaped
Savanna (plain)
• Definition: rolling grassland scattered with shrubs and a few trees
• Have only 2 seasons:– A very long dry winter– A very wet summer
• They can be found in:– Africa– South America– Northern Australia
Source: http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/savanna.htm
Delta
• Located at the mouth of a river• It forms when mud, silt, sand and gravel settle
to the bottom of a river at its mouth• Usually occurs when the river enters a large
body of calm water• They exist all over the world except at the
poles
River
• Definition: body of fresh water moving over the earth
• Bigger than streams• Can be both natural and man-made• Rivers empty into larger bodies of water• They flow from a higher elevation to a lower
elevation
Lakes
• Definition: bodies of freshwater surrounded by land
• Range in size from less than one acre to several thousand acres
• Usually fed by rivers
Peninsula
• Definition: elongated shape of land that projects out into a body of water
• Almost completely surrounded by water • Can be found all over the world:– Florida– Mexico’s Baja peninsula– Peloponnesian peninsula– Arabian peninsula
Island
• Definition: a piece of land surrounded by the sea on all sides
• 2 different kinds of islands– Continental: have the same plants and animals as
the continent near it– Oceanic: have completely different plants and
animals• Some are volcanoes that have built up under
the ocean
Bay
• Definition: a body of water partially surrounded by land
• Connects to the sea• Smaller than a gulf• Some examples include:– San Francisco bay– Hudson Bay– Chesapeake Bay
Wetlands(swamps)
• Definition: areas where water covers the soil, or is at or near the surface of the soil all year
• Found on every continent except for Antarctica • Contains water that is static or flowing, fresh,
brackish or salt• Several different kinds:– Tidal or coastal: found along the Atlantic, Pacific, Alaskan,
and Gulf coasts– Non-tidal or inland: most common on floodplains along
rivers and streams
Highlands
• Definition: a hilly or mountainous high area of a country
• The most famous ones are the Scottish Highlands
Basin
• An area of land where surface water from rain, melting snow, or ice meet at a single point
• Then the water joins another body like a river, lake, reservoir, wetland, sea, or ocean
Mouth of the River
• Definition: the opening of a river where the water flows into another body of water
• Where the delta is formed
River Source
• Definition: the original point from which the river flows
• Or the place where the river begins– Can be a lake, a marsh, a spring, or a glacier