Landforms Landforms and bodies of and bodies of

waterwaterShaping our worldShaping our world

This MODIS image is based on surface observations This MODIS image is based on surface observations collected from June through September 2001 and collected from June through September 2001 and combined, or composited, every eight dayscombined, or composited, every eight daysCredits: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; Image by Reto St

Land surface and shaded topographyLand surface and shaded topography

Mountain Mountain high landform with steep high landform with steep sidessides

Mountain Mountain RangeRange - - row of row of mountainsmountains

VolcanoVolcano

Satellite views of Satellite views of Mt. Kilimanjaro Mt. Kilimanjaro with glacierswith glaciers

GlacierGlacierss

Bering glacierBering glacier

masses of masses of moving icemoving ice

Canyon Canyon --

A narrow chasm with steep cliff A narrow chasm with steep cliff walls, cut into the earth by running walls, cut into the earth by running waterwater

Plateau - Plateau - an elevated area of flat an elevated area of flat landland

The western The western part of the part of the Roan Plateau Roan Plateau is dissected is dissected by the by the canyon of the canyon of the East Fork of East Fork of Parachute Parachute Creek.Creek.

This photograph shows Yosemite Valley, in Yosemite National Park, California. The granite cliffs were carved by glaciers.

Photograph courtesy of NASA.

Valley Valley

-- Yosemite Valley, in Yosemite Valley, in Yosemite National Park, Yosemite National Park, California. The granite cliffs California. The granite cliffs were carved by glaciers.were carved by glaciers.

Photograph courtesy of NASA.

an elongated lowland between an elongated lowland between ranges of mountains or hills, often ranges of mountains or hills, often having a river or stream running having a river or stream running along the bottomalong the bottom

mesa -mesa - elevated area of land with a elevated area of land with a flat top and sides that are flat top and sides that are usually steep cliffs. It takes its usually steep cliffs. It takes its name from its characteristic name from its characteristic table-top shape.table-top shape.

Foot hillsFoot hills

PlainPlain a flat a flat stretch stretch of landof land

Once blanketing the entire Midwest prairie, Once blanketing the entire Midwest prairie, buffalo (bison) were hunted mercilessly. Thanks buffalo (bison) were hunted mercilessly. Thanks to conservation measures, small herds are to conservation measures, small herds are making a comeback in wildlife refuges.making a comeback in wildlife refuges.

Great PlainsGreat Plains

Cattle grazing in KansasCattle grazing in Kansas

Flood Plain – Flood Plain – a plain formed by sediment a plain formed by sediment dropped by a river when it floodsdropped by a river when it floods

PeninsulaPeninsulaLand with water on three Land with water on three sidessides

Korean Korean PeninsulPeninsulaa

Florida Florida PeninsulPeninsulaa

Cape Cape --

Satellite image of Satellite image of Cape Cod, Cape Cod, MassachusettsMassachusetts NASA

Cape Town, South AfricaCape Town, South Africa

point or head of land point or head of land projecting into a body of projecting into a body of waterwater

Cape Cape HatterasHatterasLighthouse Lighthouse before move, before move, North Carolina North Carolina October 1989October 1989

Isthmus Isthmus --A narrow strip of A narrow strip of land that land that connects two connects two larger areas.larger areas.

The The isthmus of isthmus of Panama Panama allows for allows for the the shortest shortest canal canal route route between between the the Atlantic Atlantic and Pacific and Pacific oceansoceans

IsthmusIsthmusLying roughly Lying roughly midway midway between between Tasmania and Tasmania and Antarctica, Antarctica, Macquarie Macquarie Island is a Island is a long, narrow, long, narrow, steep-sided steep-sided plateau only plateau only 34 kilometres 34 kilometres long and 5.5 long and 5.5 kilometres kilometres wide at its wide at its broadest broadest point.point.

IsthmusIsthmus

CanalCanal - - man-made man-made waterway swaterway s

(above) A freighter passes (above) A freighter passes through the Panama Canal.through the Panama Canal.(right) USS Theodore (right) USS Theodore Roosevelt transiting the Roosevelt transiting the Suez Canal on its way to the Suez Canal on its way to the Persian Gulf in mid-January Persian Gulf in mid-January 1991.1991.

islandislandan area of an area of land land completely completely surroundesurrounded by waterd by water

Infant island of Infant island of Surtsey, Iceland Surtsey, Iceland (formed 1963-1967)(formed 1963-1967)

ArchipelagArchipelago - o -

Satellite view of the Florida Satellite view of the Florida KeysKeys

Hawaiian Hawaiian IslandsIslands

a group of islandsa group of islands

AtollAtoll A volcanic island A volcanic island forms in deep forms in deep tropical waters, tropical waters, giving coral polyps giving coral polyps a foundation to a foundation to grow on. In time, grow on. In time, the volcano the volcano becomes dormant becomes dormant and the island and the island begins to subside. begins to subside. Coral reefs, Coral reefs, originally fringing originally fringing the edges of the the edges of the island, become a island, become a barrier reef barrier reef outlining the outlining the contour of the contour of the original coastline. original coastline. After the original After the original island slips entirely island slips entirely beneath the waves, beneath the waves, all that is left is a all that is left is a coral atoll .coral atoll .

Bodies of WaterBodies of WaterDescriptions of bodies of water are not always Descriptions of bodies of water are not always precise. For example, a “gulf” may be smaller precise. For example, a “gulf” may be smaller than a “bay” or a “sea” may be smaller than a than a “bay” or a “sea” may be smaller than a “lake.”“lake.”

River -River -

The Usumacinta The Usumacinta River in Guatemala River in Guatemala meanders through meanders through the Lacandon Forestthe Lacandon Forest

a large natural a large natural stream of water stream of water emptying into an emptying into an ocean, lake, or ocean, lake, or other body of waterother body of water

Sierra Nevada RiverSierra Nevada River

Most rivers are fed by a series of Most rivers are fed by a series of tributariestributaries

Delta Delta --

(above) The Mississippi River The Mississippi River deltadelta(left) This view from the This view from the southeast overlooks the green southeast overlooks the green expanse of the Nile delta, with expanse of the Nile delta, with the Suez Canal and portions of the Suez Canal and portions of the Red Sea in the background. the Red Sea in the background. The delta begins to fan out The delta begins to fan out around Cairo, about 160 km around Cairo, about 160 km inland near the picture's right inland near the picture's right edge.edge.

a low triangular a low triangular area where a area where a river divides river divides before entering before entering a larger body of a larger body of waterwater

StraitStrait - -a narrow body of water a narrow body of water that connects two larger that connects two larger bodies of waterbodies of water

(above) The Bosporus The Bosporus connects the Black Sea with connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara in the the Sea of Marmara in the center of this view of center of this view of northwest Turkey.northwest Turkey. (right) The The Strait of Messina is between Strait of Messina is between the island of Sicily and the the island of Sicily and the Italian peninsula.Italian peninsula.

Channel -Channel - A broad strait, especially one A broad strait, especially one that connects two seasthat connects two seas

The The English English ChannelChannel is the is the part of the part of the Atlantic Ocean Atlantic Ocean that separates that separates the island of the island of Great Britain Great Britain from northern from northern France, and joins France, and joins the North Sea to the North Sea to the Atlantic.the Atlantic.

United KingdomUnited Kingdom

FranceFrance

Chesapeake Chesapeake Bay watershedBay watershedThis satellite view of This satellite view of Chesapeake Bay shows a Chesapeake Bay shows a large inlet of the Atlantic large inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, long famous for Ocean, long famous for the bounty of oysters and the bounty of oysters and crabs pulled from its crabs pulled from its muddy waters. The bay's muddy waters. The bay's well-being depends on well-being depends on the health of the the health of the waterways that empty waterways that empty into it. Antipollution into it. Antipollution signs on waterways many signs on waterways many miles from the bay warn miles from the bay warn potential polluters that potential polluters that they are in the they are in the "CHESAPEAKE BAY "CHESAPEAKE BAY DRAINAGE."DRAINAGE."

BayBay --

A narrow band of A narrow band of fog rolls into San fog rolls into San Francisco from Francisco from the Golden Gate the Golden Gate in northern in northern California California

part of a lake or part of a lake or ocean that is ocean that is partially partially enclosed by enclosed by landland

The Hudson BayThe Hudson Bay is in north-is in north-central Canadacentral Canada

HarborHarbora safe a safe anchorage anchorage

Located on Located on the highly the highly populated populated Hawaiian Hawaiian island of island of Oahu just Oahu just west of west of Honolulu, Honolulu, Pearl Harbor is the historic center of events on Pearl Harbor is the historic center of events on ‘the day that will live in infamy’—December 7, ‘the day that will live in infamy’—December 7, 1941—when the Japanese fleet launched a 1941—when the Japanese fleet launched a surprise air attack on Pearl Harbor and other surprise air attack on Pearl Harbor and other strategic military targets on Oahu.strategic military targets on Oahu.

Fjord -Fjord - A long, narrow arm of the sea, A long, narrow arm of the sea, usually formed by entrance of usually formed by entrance of the sea into a deep glacial the sea into a deep glacial trough.trough.

The Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico (above) is the is the largest gulf and covers an area of largest gulf and covers an area of 596,000 square miles. 596,000 square miles. (left) From From Persian Gulf on the northeast side Persian Gulf on the northeast side of the Arabian peninsula and of the Arabian peninsula and through the Strait of Hormuz into through the Strait of Hormuz into the Gulf of Oman huge the Gulf of Oman huge supertankers transport more than supertankers transport more than half of the world’s supply of half of the world’s supply of petroleum.petroleum.

Gulf-Gulf-part of an part of an ocean or sea ocean or sea that is partially that is partially enclosed by a enclosed by a curving curving coastlinecoastline

GulfGulf – – part of an ocean that part of an ocean that extends so that it is surrounded extends so that it is surrounded

by land on three sides.by land on three sides.

(left) The Sea The Sea of Galilee of Galilee and the Dead and the Dead Sea to its Sea to its south both south both lie astride lie astride the great the great Dead Sea Dead Sea fault, a fault, a strike-slip strike-slip fracture akin fracture akin to the San to the San Andreas Andreas fault.fault.The Black Sea The Black Sea

can only be can only be entered entered through the through the Bosporus and Bosporus and Dardanelles Dardanelles straits in straits in Turkey.Turkey.

Sea - Sea - A relatively large A relatively large body of salt water body of salt water completely or completely or partially enclosed partially enclosed by landby land

Mediterranean SeaMediterranean Sea

OceanOcean - - one of the great bodies of water one of the great bodies of water that that covers 70% of the earth’s surfacecovers 70% of the earth’s surface

linkslinks• http://www.bluewatr.de/karten/thumbs/panama-canal-!.jpg• http://www.earthwatch.com/SKYWATCH/images/IRGULF3D.jpg• http://www.fpif.orgg/papers/mideast/mideast_oil.jp• http://www.graman.net/amorina/kart-st.jpg• http://www.mideastnews.com/pgulfmap.gif

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