Download geography terms review

GEOGRAPHY TERMS
REVIEW
Archipelago
• A group or chain of
islands clustered
together in a sea or
ocean.
Arid
• A region with
extreme/severe lack of
water resulting in
hindering growth and
development of plants
and animals.
Aquifer
• An area underground
that holds water in the
gaps between rock,
sand or gravel, sort of
like an underground
lake or stream.
Basin
• A sunken area in a
plateau found between
mountain ranges.
Butte
• A flat-topped rock or
hill formation with
steep sides.
Canyon
• A deep valley with very
steep sides - often
carved from the Earth
by a river.
Desert
• A very dry terrain.
Escarpment
• A long, steep cliff that
was cased by an
earthquake millions of
years ago.
Fault (line)
• A break in the earth
caused by the shifting
of tectonic plates
beneath the earth’s
surface millions of years
ago.
Fjord
• A long, narrow sea inlet
that is bordered by
steep cliffs.
Plain(s)
• Plains are flat lands that
have only small changes
in elevation
Plateau
• A large, flat area of land
that is higher than the
surrounding land.
Glacier
• A long-lasting, slowlymoving river of ice on
land.
Gulf
• A part of a large body if
water that feeds into
the ocean; it extends
into a shoreline.
Island
• A piece of land that is
surrounded by water.
Isthmus
• A narrow strip of land
connecting two larger
landmasses. An isthmus
has water on two sides.
Lagoon
• A body of water cut off
from a larger body by a
reef of sand or coral.
Lake
• A lake is a small body of
water that is completely
surrounded by land.
Lakes are usually found
in the bottom of a
basin, and they are fed
by a river.
Mountain Range
• A group of mountains
bordered by lowlands.
Mesa
• A broad, flat-topped
elevation with one or
more cliff like sides.
– Geographers use the
rule that a mesa has a
top wider than its
height, while a butte's
top is narrower.
Oasis
• An area made fertile by
a source of freshwater
in an otherwise dry and
arid region.
Peninsula
• A body of land
surrounded by water on
three sides is called a
peninsula.
Reef
• A strip or ridge of rocks,
sand, or coral that rises
to or near the surface of
a body of water.
Sea
• A division of an ocean
or a large body of salt
water partially enclosed
by land.
Swamp
• An area of low-lying,
uncultivated ground
where water collects; a
bog or marsh.
Timber Line
• A line marking the
upper limit of tree
growth in mountains or
northern latitudes.
Tributary
• A river or stream flowing
into a larger river or lake.
Volcano
• An opening in the
earth's crust through
which molten lava, ash,
and gases are ejected.