GEOGRAPHY GLOSSARY!!!!!!!!

UNIT ONE

-Inlet: A thin channel of water that leads inland from the sea. Inlets created by glaciation are called fjords and are usually found on montainous coastlines.
-Headland: A small area of land that projects out into the sea.

-Peninsula: A large scale headland surrounded by water on three sides. A peninsula can be connected to the land by a thin stretch of land called isthmus.
-Island: A piece of land completely surrounded by water.
-Gulf: An area of sea surrounded by land on three sides. A bay is similar but smaller.
-Oceanic ridge: An underwater mountain range that generally covers a large area and reaches high altitudes.
-Oceanic trench: A long depression on the ocean floor that can be thousands of meters deep.
-Abyssal plain: A flat area of the ocean floor. They are found at depths of between 3000 and 7000 meters.
-Continental shelf: The undersea extension of a continent that descends gradually to depths of around 400m. The shelf might extend for only a few kilometers under the sea, or it may extend for many.
-Continental slope: A steep underwater area that links the continental shelf with the ocean floor.
-Mountain: A large landform that is higher than thee surrounding land. A mountain range is a continuous chain of mountains.
-Basin: An area of land that is drained by a river or a lake and that is lower than the surrounding area.
-Valley: Is a linear depression in the land.
-Plateau: A flat area of land which sits at a certain altitude above sea level.
-Plain: A large, open, flat or slightly undulating are of land.

-Lagoon: An area of shallow water separated from the sea by low sandy dunes.

-Massif: A compact portion of a mountain range, containing one or more summits.

-Delta: An arm or inlet of the sea at the lower end of a river.

-Cliff: A high steep face of a rock.

-Tributary: A stream that flows to a larger stream or other body of water.