Geography Vocabulary

Front 1

basin

Back 1

area of land surrounded by lands of higher elevations;

area of land drained by a given river and its branches

Front 2

bay

Back 2

part of a large body of water that extends into a shoreline;

generally smaller than a gulf

Front 3

canyon

Back 3

deep and narrow valley with steep walls

Front 4

cape

Back 4

point of land that extends into a river, lake, or ocean

Front 5

cape

Back 5

point of land that extends into a river, lake, or ocean

Front 6

delta

Back 6

flat, low-lying land built up from soil carried downstream by a river and deposited at its mouth.

Front 7

channel

Back 7

wide strait or waterway between two landmasses that lie close to each other;

deep part of a river or other waterway

Front 8

channel

Back 8

wide strit or waterway between two landmasses that lie close to each other;

deep part of a river or other waterway

Front 9

downstream

Back 9

direction in which a river or stream flows from its mouth

Front 10

elevation

Back 10

height or land above sea level

Front 11

glacier

Back 11

large, thick body of slowly moving ice

Front 12

gulf

Back 12

part of a large body of water that extends into a shoreline, generally larger and more deeply indented than a bay

Front 13

harbor

Back 13

a sheltered place along a shoreline where ships can anchor safely

Front 14

hill

Back 14

elevated land with sloping sides and rounded summit; generally smaller than a mountain

Front 15

hill

Back 15

elevated land with sloping sides and rounded summit; generally smaller than a mountain

Front 16

island

Back 16

land area, smaller than a continent, completely surrounded by water

Front 17

isthmus

Back 17

narrow stretch of land connecting two larger land areas

Front 18

lake

Back 18

a sizeable inland body of water

Front 19

mesa

Back 19

broad, flat-topped landform with steep sides, smaller than a plateau

Front 20

mountain range

Back 20

a series of connected mountains

Front 21

mouth (of a river)

Back 21

place where a stream or river flows into a body of water

Front 22

ocean

Back 22

one of the four major bodies of salt water that surround the continents

Front 23

ocean current

Back 23

stream of either cold or warm water that moves in a definite direction through an ocean

Front 24

peninsula

Back 24

body of land jutting into a lake or ocean, surrounded on three sides by water

Front 25

plain

Back 25

area of level land, usually at low elevation and often covered with grasses

Front 26

plateau

Back 26

area of flat or rolling land at a high elevation, about 300-3000 feet high

Front 27

relief

Back 27

changes in elevation over a given area of land

Front 28

river

Back 28

large natural stream of water that runs through the land

Front 29

sea

Back 29

large body of water completely or partly surrounded by land

Front 30

sea

Back 30

large body of water completely or partly surrounded by land

Front 31

source (of a river)

Back 31

place where a rover or stream begins, often in highlands

Front 32

strait

Back 32

narrow stretch of water joining two larger bodies of water

Front 33

tributary

Back 33

small river or stream that flows into a large river or stream; a branch of the river

Front 34

valley

Back 34

area of low land between hills or mountains