Land and Water Geographical Terms

Atoll- circle of coral islands that surround a lagoon

Archipelago- a group of island clustered together in open ocean

Fjord- a long, narrow sea inlet that is bordered by steep cliffs

Butte- a flat topped rock or hillside with steep sides (usually isolated)

Mesa- an isolated hill with a flat top and steep sides (bigger than a butte but smaller than a plateau)

Plateau- an area of large, flat area of land that is higher than surrounding land

Lagoon- a shallow body of water that is located along a coast

Geyser- a natural hot spring that periodically shoots steaming hot water into the air

Palisade- a line of long, steep cliffs usually along a river

Source- the beginning of a river

Mouth- where a river flows into an ocean, a lake, a stream, or another river

Delta- formed at the mouth of a river and is formed by the sand, small rocks and mud that flow downstream and are deposited in the delta

Strait- a narrow body of water that connects two larger bodies of water

Isthmus- a narrow strip of land that connects two larger pieces of lan

Bay- a body of water that cuts into the land (smaller than a gulf)

Gulf- a body of water that cuts into the land larger than a bay

Peninsula- a body of land that is nearly surrounded by water (on 3 sides)

Cape- a pointed piece of land that sticks out into the ocean, a river or lake

Sound- a body of water that separates the mainland from an island (it is often parallel to the coastline )

Valley- an area of low land between hills or mountains

Plain- a large area of fairly flat land