Landforms

1
Landforms

• Mountains
• Hills
• Plains
• Plateau
• Island
• Peninsula
• Bay
• Gulf
• Valley
• Beach
• Coast
• Volcano
• Ocean
• River
• Lake
• Desert

2
Mountains

• A mountain has 4
• main characteristics
• 1. High, rocky land
• 2. Steep  sides
• 3. Pointed or rounded top
• 4. Higher than a hill
• Example Himalayan
• Mountains

3
Hills

• A hill has 2 main characteristics
• 1.  Raised part of the earth's surface
• 2.  Sloping sides
• Example The Black Hills

4
Plains

• A plain has 3 main characteristics
• 1. Large areas of land
• 2. Flat, or gently rolling areas
• 3. Low in elevation
• Example
• The Great Plains of central USA

5
Plateau

• A plateau has 2 main characteristics
• An elevated area of land.
• Flat like a table.

6
Island

• An island has 2 main characteristics
• 1. Area of land
• 2. Surrounded by water
• Example Hawaiian Islands

7
Peninsula

• A peninsula has 2
• main characteristics
• An area of land
• Surrounded by water
• on 3 sides.
• Example Florida

8
Deserts

• A desert has 3 main characteristics
• 1. Super-dry air
• 2. Little rain (less than 10 inches a year)
• 3. High daytime temperatures
• Example Sahara Desert

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Desert Locations
10
Bay

• A bay has 2 main characteristics
• Part of a body
• of salt water.
• (smaller than a gulf).
• 2.  Reaches into
• the land.
• Example
• San Diego Bay

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San Diego Bay
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Gulf

• A gulf has 2 main characteristics
• Large part of an ocean 
• (Much bigger than a bay.)
• 2. Reaches into land
• Examples
• The Gulf of Mexico
• The Persian Gulf

13
Valley

• A valley has 2 main characteristics
• 1. Low land
• 2. Between hills or mountains
• ExamplesDeath Valley

14
Beach

• A beach has 2 main characteristics
• The sandy land
• Where the ocean and shore meet.
• Example Imperial Beach

15
Coast

• A coast has 2 main characteristics
• 1. Land
• 2. Along the sea or ocean
• Example
• The Ivory Coast

16
Volcano

• A volcano has 3 main characteristics
• 1. Cone shaped mountain
• 2. Formed by rock or ash thrown from the inside
  of the earth
• 3. At times, opening or depression at top
• Example Mt. St. Helen

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Oceans

• The ocean has 2 main characteristics
• 1. Large body of salt water
• 2. Covers 3/4 of the earth's surface
• Four oceans
• Atlantic
• Pacific
• Arctic
• Indian Oceans

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Can you find the four oceans? Pacific,
Atlantic, Indian, Arctic
19
Rivers

• A river has 3 main characteristics
• 1. Large stream of water
• 2. Flows through land
• 3. Into lake, ocean or other body of water
• Example Mississippi River

20
Lake

• A lake has 2 main characteristics
• 1. Body of water
• 2. Surrounded by land
• Example Otay Lakes

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Third grade social studies standard 3.1
Students describe the physical and human
geography and use maps, tables, graphs,
photographs, and charts to organize information
about people, places, and environments in a
spatial context. By Ms. Hultenius 2006