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)