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