Physical Features of our World
MountainsArea of land with steep sides that rise sharply from surrounding land
EXAMPLES:Himalayan Mtns (India)Appalachian Mtns. (Eastern USA)Ural Mtns. (Russia)
HillsRaised areas of land
EXAMPLE:Piedmont area (North Carolina)
Oceans Very large bodies of salt water that cover almost ¾ of the Earth’s surface
EXAMPLES:Arctic OceanAtlantic OceanPacific OceanIndian Ocean
Seas Large bodies of salt water; often located where the land and ocean meet
EXAMPLES:Caribbean SeaCoral SeaMediterranean SeaBlack Sea
Islands
Land that is surrounded by water on all sides
EXAMPLES:BahamasIndonesiaMadagascarJapan
Coastlines (Short & Long)Areas where bodies of water meet the land
EXAMPLES:Wrightsville Beach (NC)Normandy (France)
Straits Narrow stretches of water connecting two larger bodies of water
EXAMPLES:Strait of Gibraltar (between Spain and Morocco)
Strait of Dover (between England and France)
RiversA moving body of fresh water that usually has its source in an area of high ground. The end of a river is called the mouth. At some mouths, deposits of fertile soil build up, creating a delta
EXAMPLES: Amazon River (South America)Nile River (Egypt)Mississippi River (USA)Yangtze River (China)
Lakes
Large bodies of water that are surrounded by land
EXAMPLES:Lake Victoria (Africa)
Lake Michigan (USA & Canada)
Loch Ness (Scotland)
PeninsulasLand that is surrounded by water on 3 sides
EXAMPLES:-Florida (USA)-Korean Peninsula (South Korea)-Horn of Africa (East Coast of Africa-Arabian Peninsula (Saudi Arabia)
Plains
Areas of flat grassland, generally at a low elevation
EXAMPLES:-Great Plains (mid-western USA)-West Siberian Peninsula (Russia)
Plateaus
Areas of flat or slightly hilly terrain at a high elevation
EXAMPLES:-Tibetan Plateau (Eurasia)-Altiplano Plateau (Columbia, SA)-Ethiopian Highlands (Ethiopia, Africa)-Australian Shield
Forests
Tropical Rainforest
Deciduous (lose leaves)
Conifer (pine tree)
Areas of flat or slightly hilly terrain at a high elevation.
EXAMPLES:-Tropical Rainforest (Amazon)-Deciduous Forest (Eastern USA)-Conifer Forest (North America)
WetlandsLands saturated with water; contains many swamps and marshes
EXAMPLES:-Everglades (USA)
-Camargue (France)-Okavango (Botswana, Africa)
DesertsAreas of land with sparse vegetation, limited rainfall, and extreme climate (very hot or very cold)
EXAMPLES:Sahara Desert (Africa)Arabian Desert (Middle East)Gobi Desert (Asia)Arctic Desert (Arctic)