LANDFORMS“The earth is the Lord’s and all it contains.” Psalm 24:1

ARCHIPELAGO

A chain of islands in a broad area of water

ATOLL

A ring-shaped

reef, island, or chain of islands

formed of coral

BEACH

A pebbly or sandy shore by

the ocean

BUTTE

A small isolated hill with

steep sides and a

flat top

CANYON

A deep, narrow valley with steep slopes

CAPE

Piece of land

jutting into the sea or some other

large body of water

DESERTA large area of

land with

little or no

water or vegetati

on

DUNE

A mound or ridge

of windblown sand

HILL

A raised area of

land; not as high

as a mountai

n

ISLAND

An area of land surrounded by water on all sides

ISTHMUS

A narrow piece of

land joining

two larger bodies of land, with

sea on either side

MESA

A medium-

sized, flat-

topped hill with

steep sides

MOUNTAINA high, steep

piece of land that

rises sharply

above the surroundin

g area

MOUNTAIN RANGE

A group or chain

of mountai

ns

OASIS

A fertile spot in a desert where

water is found

PENINSULA

A piece of land

projecting out into a body of

water

PLAIN

A large area

of flat land

PLATEAU

A large area of

high flat land

REEFRidge or jagged rock,

coral, or sand just above or below the surface of

the sea

VALLEY

Land that lies between mountai

ns or hills

VOLCANOAn

opening in the

earth’s crust from which lava,

ashes, and

gasses erupt