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Landforms
Term | Definition |
---|---|
savana | open grassland with widely spaced trees in a hot, seasonally dry climate |
strait | relatively narrow waterway joining two larger bodies of water |
channel | the deepest part of a river, harbor, or large strait |
geyser | natural spring that ejects steam and hot water into the air |
sea, gulf, bay | body of saltwater partially enclosed by land |
canal | artificial waterway used for irrigation or travel |
canyon | deep valley with high, steep hills |
delta | triangular plain formed by the gravel, silt, sand, and clay deposited at a river's mouth where it slows to meet another body of water |
tundra | vast, treeless plains with permafrost and small, low plants |
glacier | large body of ice that moves across the earth's surface |
peninsula | landform surrounded by water on three sides |
island | piece of land completely surrounded by water |
archipelago | chain of islands |
fjord | long, narrow coastal valley between tall, rocky cliffs |
isthmus | narrow strip of land between two seas or oceans that connects two larger land areas |
plateau | large, flat area of land that is usually higher than the land around it, with at least one steep slope |
plain, prairie | large area of relatively flat or gently rolling land |
dune | ridge or hill of sand blown or drifted by the wind in deserts or on beaches |
atoll | ring-shaped island formed by coral buildup on the rim of an underwater volcano |
crater | bowl-shaped depression in the earth or the funnel-shaped opening of a volcano |
valley | elongated lowland between mountain ranges or hills |
rainforest | a dense, tropical evergreen forest with an annual rainfall of at least 100 inches |
marsh | wetland area always or sometimes covered with shallow water |
mountain | rugged mass of rock that rises above the surrounding landscape with steep slopes and a peak or summit |
desert | dry, barren region that receives little or no precipitation |
lake | large body of fresh or salt water that is entirely surrounded by land |