Geography Vocabulary & Glossary

Archipelago

A chain, cluster, or collection of islands grouped together in a body of water, such as the islands of Hawaii or Japan.

Atoll

A ring-shaped coral reef, island, or series of islets surrounding a body of water called a lagoon.

Atlas

A bound collection or book of maps, often featuring charts, tables, and geographical facts about countries and regions.

Basin

A large, bowl-shaped depression in the surface of the land, often surrounded by higher areas like mountains or hills.

Bay

A broad inlet of the sea where the land curves inward, usually smaller and less enclosed than a gulf.

Butte

An isolated hill with steep, vertical sides and a small, flat top, commonly found in the American West.

Canyon

A deep, narrow valley with steep rock sides, typically carved over thousands of years by a running river.

Cape

A high point of land that extends out into a body of water, such as an ocean, sea, or lake.

Continent

One of Earth's seven largest main continuous masses of land: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.

Coral Reef

An underwater ridge or ecosystem built by colonies of tiny marine animals called coral polyps in warm, shallow ocean waters.

Delta

A flat, fan-shaped area of land made of sand, silt, and mud where a river flows into a larger body of water like an ocean or lake.

Desert

A dry, barren region of land that receives very little rainfall throughout the year, featuring extreme temperatures and specialized wildlife.

Dune

A mound or ridge of sand formed by the wind, commonly found along seashores or in deserts.

Elevation

The height of a particular land feature or place above the level of the sea.

Equator

An imaginary line drawn around the middle of Earth exactly halfway between the North and South Poles, dividing the globe into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

Estuary

An area where a freshwater river or stream meets and mixes with the salty water of the ocean.

Fjord

A long, deep, narrow body of water that reaches far inland, flanked by steep cliffs or mountains, created by ancient glaciers.

Floodplain

A flat area of land next to a river that is prone to flooding when heavy rains or melting snow cause the river to overflow.

Geyser

A hot spring that periodically erupts, shooting a column of hot water and steam high up into the air.

Glacier

A huge, slow-moving mass of dense ice formed from compacted snow that flows slowly down mountain slopes or across polar lands.

Gulf

A large part of an ocean or sea that extends deep into the land, usually larger and more enclosed than a bay.

Hemisphere

One half of the Earth, divided either into Northern and Southern halves by the equator, or Eastern and Western halves by prime meridians.

Hill

A raised area of land with distinct slopes that is smaller and less rugged than a mountain.

Iceberg

A massive piece of freshwater ice that has broken off from a glacier or ice shelf and is floating freely in open water.

Island

A piece of land completely surrounded by water on all sides.

Isthmus

A narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas, bordered by water on two sides (such as the Isthmus of Panama).

Lagoon

A shallow body of calm water protected from the open ocean by sandbars, barrier islands, or coral reefs.

Lake

A large body of standing fresh or saltwater completely surrounded by land.

Latitude

Imaginary lines running horizontally East-West around the globe that measure how far North or South a place is from the equator.

Longitude

Imaginary lines running vertically North-South from pole to pole that measure how far East or West a place is from the Prime Meridian.

Magma

Molten, super-hot liquid rock located deep beneath the surface of the Earth.

Mesa

A wide, flat-topped hill or mountain with steep cliff-like sides, common in dry, desert regions.

Monsoon

A seasonal wind pattern in South and Southeast Asia that brings heavy rainfall for months at a time.

Mountain

A large landform that stretches high above the surrounding terrain, typically featuring steep slopes and a peak.

Oasis

A fertile green spot in a desert where water is found from an underground spring or well.

Ocean

One of the five vast continuous bodies of saltwater that cover about 71 percent of Earth's surface: Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern, and Arctic.

Peninsula

A piece of land that is almost entirely surrounded by water while remaining connected to a mainland on one side (such as Florida or Italy).

Plateau

A large, relatively flat area of high land that rises sharply above the surrounding land on at least one side.

Prairie

A vast, open area of flat or rolling grassland filled with low-growing plants and few trees.

Prime Meridian

The imaginary line of 0 degrees longitude passing through Greenwich, England, dividing the earth into Eastern and Western hemispheres.

Reef

A ridge of jagged rock, coral, or sand lying just at or below the surface of the ocean water.

Reservoir

A natural or artificial lake used to store and manage water supplies for a community or region.

River

A large, natural stream of flowing fresh water that moves across the land toward an ocean, lake, or another river.

Savanna

A rolling grassland dotted with scattered trees and shrubs, typically found in tropical or subtropical regions with distinct wet and dry seasons.

Sea

A large body of salt water, smaller than an ocean and often partly enclosed by land.

Steppe

A dry, grassy plain with no trees, typically found in southeastern Europe and parts of Asia.

Strait

A narrow channel of water connecting two larger bodies of water, such as the Strait of Gibraltar.

Tectonic Plates

Massive, rigid slabs of rock that make up Earth's outermost shell (lithosphere) and float on the molten mantle underneath.

Tributary

A smaller river or stream that flows into a larger main river.

Tundra

A vast, cold, treeless biome in arctic regions where the subsoil is permanently frozen (permafrost).

Valley

A low area of land situated between hills or mountains, often carved out by rivers or glaciers.

Volcano

An opening in Earth's crust that allows hot magma, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from below the surface.

Watershed

An area of land where all surface water drains down into a single shared river, lake, or ocean.

Wetland

An area of land saturated with water permanently or seasonally, such as a marsh, swamp, or bog.

Zenith

The point in the sky directly overhead from an observer on the ground.