Other Key Physical Geography Terms

Terms Associated With the Ocean

Archipelago Bay Cape Channel Currents

Gulf Fjord Harbor Sea Sound

ARCHIPELAGO: A group of, or chain of, islands

BAY: A body of water that extends into a shoreline, smaller than a gulf

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

CHANNEL: A wide waterway between two landmasses

CURRENTS: Streams of cold or warm water that move through the ocean

GULF: A body of water that extends into a shoreline, bigger than a bay

FJORD: A long, narrow, deep inlet of the sea between steep slopes of land

HARBOR: A sheltered place along a shoreline where ships can anchor

New York

Sydney

SEA: A large body of water completely or partly surrounded by land

SOUND: A large body of water between a coastline and a large island

Terms Associated With the Continents

Basin Delta Divide Environment

Isthmus Peninsula Tributary Volcano

BASIN: Area of land that water flows into, but not out of

DELTA: A triangular-shaped section of land near the mouth of a river

DIVIDE: Stretch of high land that separates river systems

ENVIRONMENT: The surroundings in which any living thing operates

ISTHMUS: Narrow stretch of land connecting two larger land areas

PENINSULA: Body of land jutting into water, and surrounded on three sides by water

TRIBUTARY: A small river or stream that flows into a larger one

VOLCANO: A mountain created as liquid rock and ash erupt from inside Earth

Vegetation Regions

Vegetation regions are natural environments that provide the stage for activities such as

farming, raising livestock, and producing timber. They include:

1. Forests 3. Deserts

2. Grasslands 4. Tundra

DECIDUOUS TREES

Lose their leaves yearly

CONIFEROUS TREES

Have cones and may also be called evergreens

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lc3vLCKdmg

GRASSLANDS are mostly flat regions, dotted with a few trees, and known by different names. In tropical areas they are called Savannas, and in

temperate regions are called Steppes.

The World’s Major Grasslands

Plants that can conserve water and withstand heat dot the DESERT landscape.

Examples include cacti, shrubs, or sagebrush.

The World’s Major Deserts

Plants that hug the ground are best adapted to survive the cold, dry TUNDRA climate.

Examples include mosses and lichen.

Earth’s Tundra Regions