This document defines and describes various landforms and geographic features including islands, beaches, dunes, peninsulas, gulfs, fjords, seas, isthmuses, deltas, swamps, marshes, canyons, buttes, mesas, plateaus, plains, steppes, cliffs, hills, mountains, volcanoes, and valleys.

2. Island Archipelago
• Piece of land • Chain of Islands
completely
surrounded by water

3. Beach or Coast
• Sandy or rocky land at the edge of an
ocean, sea, or lake.

4. Dune
• Ridge of sand piled up by wind

5. Peninsula Gulf
• Stretch of land • Large area of a sea or
surrounded on three ocean partially
sides by water enclosed by land. Bay
(smaller)

6. Fjords Sea
• Narrow waterway • Large body of salt
connecting two larger water wholly or partly
bodies of water enclosed by land

7. Isthmus Delta
• Narrow strip of land • Piled up sediment at
(bridge) that connects a river’s mouth
to pieces of land • Islands

8. Swamp
• Type of freshwater
wetland that has
spongy, muddy land
and a lot of water.
Many trees and
shrubs grow in
swamps.

9. Marsh
• Type of freshwater,
brackish water or
saltwater wetland that
is found along rivers,
pond, lakes, and
coasts. Marsh plants
grow up out of the
water.

10. Canyon
• Long narrow valley
with high steep sides

11. Butte
• Hill that rises abruptly
from the surrounding
area and has sloping
sides and a flat top.

12. Mesa Plateau
• Broad, flat-topped • Huge tableland
elevation with one or
more cliff-like sides.

13. Plain Steppe
• Area of level or rolling • Vast grass covered
land plain
• Rolling hills

14. Cliff Hill
• Sheer, steep face of • Small elevation in the
rock earth’s surface

15. Mountains
• Highest landform
above sea level
• Mountain range –
stream of mountains

16. Volcano Valley
• Opening in earth’s • Lowland between
crust through which ranges of mountains
molten lava, ash, and or hills
gases are ejected • Often has a river or
stream running along
bottom