Lesson Number 1: Land forms Landforms are the natural shapes or features called land forms. Although land only makes up one fourth of the earth's surface, we tend to know it better as it is the part we live in. There are many classifications of land forms, depending on what kind of map a person is looking at. For example, a political map would show the land divided by how people and its boundaries are man made. For physical or elevation maps, the divisions are largely decided by nature, with a little intervention from man.There are many different types of land forms found on the earth. Land forms include mountains,
valleys, plateaus, deserts,plains, islands, and peninsulas.
Different Kinds of Land forms
1. Mountain is a large land form that stretches above the surrounding land in a limited area usually in the form of a peak.
2. Valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.
3. Hillis a land form that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills often have a distinct summit, although in areas with scarp/dip topography a hill may refer to a particular section of flat terrain without a massive summit (e.g. Box Hill, Surrey).
4. Plain is land with relatively low relief, that is flat or gently rolling. Prairies and steppes are types of plains, and the archetype for a plain is often thought of as a grassland, but plains in their natural state may also be covered in shrublands, woodland and forest, or vegetation may be absent in the case of sandy or stony plains in hot deserts. Types of flatlands for which the term is not generally used include those covered entirely and permanently by swamps, marshes, playas, or ice sheets.
5.Plateau also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain.
6. Delta is a land form that is formed at the mouth of a river, where that river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, or reservoir. Deltas are formed from the deposition of the sediment carried by the river as the flow leaves the mouth of the river. Over long periods of time, this deposition builds the characteristic geographic pattern of a river delta.
7. Volcano is an opening, or rupture, in a planet's surface or crust, which allows hot magma, volcanic ash and gases to escape from below the surface.
8. Tundra is a biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. The term tundra comes through Russian тундра from the Kildin Sami word tūndâr "uplands," "treeless mountain tract
9. Desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants.
10.Canyon (occasionally spelled canon) or gorge is a deep ravine between cliffs often carved from the landscape by a river. Rivers have a natural tendency to reach a baseline elevation, which is the same elevation as the body of water it will eventually drain into.
11. Cliff is a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. Cliffs are formed as erosion landforms due to the processes of erosion and weathering that produce them.
12.Peninsula is a body of land that is surrounded by water on three sides.
13. Isthmus is a narrow strip of land connecting two larger landmasses. An isthmus has water on two sides
14. Fjord is a long, narrow sea inlet that is bordered by steep cliffs.
15. Archipelago is a group or chain of islands clustered together in a sea or ocean.
16. Cape is a pointed piece of land that sticks out into a sea, ocean, lake, or river.
Note: Pictures of the following landforms are found in the photo gallery of this website.
Lesson Number 2: Water forms
Water varies from place to place in amount, purity, hardness, and in other ways. Not all parts of the world have abundant water with the qualities desired. In deserts or semi-arid lands it may be difficult to find enough water. Large cities even in humid areas also have serious water supply problems. The distribution of water has become an increasingly important aspect of geographic inquiry. Water bodies account for 75 percent of the total surface area of the earth.
1. Oceans are the largest bodies of water on the earth. There are four oceans. The largest ocean is the Pacific Ocean. The next largest is the Atlantic, then the Indian and finally the Arctic Ocean.
2. Lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land apart from a river,stream, or other form of moving water that serves to feed or drain the lake.
3. River is a natural watercourse,usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including stream, creek, brook, rivulet, tributary and rill.
4.Bay is a large body of water connected to an ocean or sea formed by an inlet of land due to the surrounding land blocking some waves and often reducing winds. Bays also exist as an inlet in a lake or pond. A large bay may be called a gulf, a sea, a sound, or a bight.
5.Strait or straits is a narrow, typically navigable channel of water that connects two larger, navigable bodies of water. It most commonly refers to a channel of water that lies between two land masses, but it may also refer to a navigable channel through a body of water that is otherwise not navigable, for example because it is too shallow, or because it contains an navigable reef or archipelago.
6. Waterfall is a place where water flows over a vertical drop in the course of a stream or river. Waterfalls also occur where melt water drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf.
7. Spring is a flow of water which descends by force of gravity.
8. Geyser is a hot spring with boiling water that often shoots water into the air like a fountain.
9.Swamp is a place where the land is muddy and wet. Many plants such as trees and shrubs grow in swamps.
10. Sea is a large body of salty water that is often connected to an ocean. A sea may be partly or completely surrounded by land.
11. Pond is a small body of water surrounded by land. A pond is smaller than a lake.
Note: Pictures of the following landforms are found in the photo gallery of this website.