basic geography terms
DESCRIPTION
Main geographic terms such as island, gulf, jungle, bay, etc.TRANSCRIPT
BASIC
GEOGRAPHY
TERMS
It’s a group of
islands.
The Canary
Islands and
the Balearic
Islands are
examples of
archipelagos.
ARCHIPELAGO
BAY
It’s a body of water
that is partially
enclosed by land.
An example is the
bay of Biscay.
BAY
BEACH It’s the part of the shore of an ocean,
sea, large river, lake, etc., washed by
the tide or waves.
CANYON It’s a deep
gorge, often
created by
a stream or
river.
The Grand
Canyon is
the most
popular.
CAPEIt’s a point or
head of land
projecting into
a body of
water.
Cape
Finisterre is in
Galicia.
CAVEIt’s a hollow in
the earth,
especially
opening more or
less horizontally
into a hill,
mountain, etc.
CHANNELIt’s a length of
water wider than
a strait joining
two large areas of
water, such as
seas.
The English
Channel is in
Europe.
CLIFFIt’s a steep rock-face near to the sea.
The Cliffs of Moher in Ireland are
enormous!
DELTAIt’s a triangular tract
of sediment
deposited at the
mouth of a river,
typically where it
diverges into several
outlets.
The Nile ends in a
large delta that empt
ies into the
Mediterranean Sea.
DESERT
It’s a dry area
of land that
gets very little
rain.
Atacama desert
is in Chile.
FOREST It’s a large
area of trees.
GEYSERIt’s a hot spring
in which water
intermittently
boils, sending a
tall column of
hot water and
steam into the
air.
GLACIERIt’s a slowly moving mass of ice
formed by the accumulation and
compaction of snow on mountains
or near the poles.
GRASSLANDIt’s a large area of grass-covered
land, especially used for pasturage.
GULFIt’s a deep inlet of the
sea almost
surrounded by land,
with a narrow mouth.
HILLIt’s a
naturally
raised area
of land.
It’s not as
high as a
mountain.
ICEBERG
It’s a large mass of ice floating into the sea.
ISLAND
It’s a piece of land surrounded by water.
ISTHMUS
It’s a narrow
strip of land
with sea on
either side,
linking two
larger areas of
land.
JUNGLEIt’s an area of land with dense forest
and tangled vegetation, typically
found in tropical areas.
LAKE
It’s a large area of water surrounded by land.
MARSH
It’s an area of low-lying land which is
flooded in wet seasons or at high tide, and
typically remains waterlogged at all times.
MOUNTAINIt’s an elevation of the earth's surface
rising abruptly and to a large height
from the surrounding level.
o It’s higher
than a hill.
OCEANIt’s a large
mass of
water.
It’s larger
than a sea.
PENINSULA It’s a piece of land surrounded by water
except by one side.
PLAIN
It’s a large area of flat land with few trees.
PLATEAUIt’s a flat area
of high ground.
RIVERIt’s a large
natural flow of
water travelling
along a channel
to the sea, a
lake, or another
river.
Rivers usually form
meanders in their
middle course.
SEAIt’s a mass of salt
water smaller than
an ocean.
STRAITIt’s a
narrow
passage of
water
connecting
two seas or
other large
areas of
water.
STREAM
It’s a small, narrow river.
TUNDRAIt’s a vast, flat, treeless Arctic region of
Europe, Asia and North America in
which the subsoil is permanently frozen.
VOLCANOIt’s a
mountain or
hill having a
crater or vent
through
which lava,
rock
fragments,hot vapour, and gas are or have been
erupted to the earth's crust.
WATERFALL
It’s a cascade
of water falling
from a height,
formed when a
river or stream
flows over a
precipice.