Basic geography terminology

Archipelago

Islands clustered together

Arctic Circle

Imaginary line about 66 degrees north of the 

equator

Atoll

Coral reef enclosing a lagoon

Basin

Area of land that is lower than the surrounding land

Basin

Area drained by a river system

Bay

Area of an ocean, sea, lake, etc., that extends into the land

Usually smaller than gulfs

Canyon

Deep, narrow, steep-sided valley, often with a river on its floor

Cape

Piece of land extending beyond the rest of the shoreline into the ocean

Climate

All the weather that occurs in an area over a long period of time

Continent

Huge land mass

Country

Any independent nation with a name and boundary

Delta

Triangular-shaped area of small islands of sediment that divide a river into smaller parts at its mouth

Desert

Dry area which receives such a small amount of precipitation that little or no plants or animals can survive there permanently

Equator

Imaginary line that circles Earth halfway between the poles

Geography

Study of the features of the earth and of the places where plants and animals live and how they affect and are affected by their environments

Glacier

Huge mass of slowly moving ice

Gulf

Large part of an ocean that extends into the land

Hemisphere

One half of the earth

Hill

Land that rises to a summit no more than 1,000 feet above the surrounding area

Island

Land completely surrounded by water

Isthmus

Narrow neck of land connecting two larger areas of land

Lake

A body of water surrounded by land

Mountain

Land that rises higher than hills above the surrounding area

Mouth

The lower end of a river where it flows into another body of water

Ocean

Huge area of salt water

Peninsula

Area of land almost surrounded by water

Plain

Large area of flat or gently rolling, treeless land

Plateau

Large area of level land that is higher than surrounding land

Poles

Northern and southernmost points on the earth

Prairie

Flat or rolling land with few trees but covered with grasses

Precipitation

Rain, hail, sleet, snow, and other types of moisture that fall to earth

River

Large amount of flowing fresh water

Savanna

Dry area of flat or rolling land that supports grasses but few trees

Sea

Part of an ocean that has been identified by geographers as a distinct body of water with its own name

Steppe

Large area that experiences very hot and very cold 

temperatures and little precipitation but supports hardy 

grasses and other plants

Strait

Narrow body of water that connects two larger bodies of water

Summit

Highest point on a hill or mountain

Swamp

Area of land that is very wet year round and in 

which trees and shrubs grow

Tributary

Stream or river that flows into a larger stream or river

Tundra

Treeless plain close to or above the Arctic Circle

Valley

Long, low-lying area usually located between ranges of hills or mountains

Volcano

Cone-shaped mountain formed by lava and/or other materials that have erupted from the interior of the earth