| absolute location | exact location of a place on the earth described by global coordinates |
| basin | area of land drained by a given river and its branches; area of land surrounded by lands of higher elevations |
| bay | part of a large body of water that extends into a shoreline, generally smaller than a gulf |
| canyon | deep and narrow valley with steep walls |
| cape | point of land that extends into a river, lake or ocean |
| channel | wide strait or waterway between two landmasses that lie close to each other; deep part of a river or other waterway |
| cliff | steep, high wall of rock, earth, or ice |
| continent | one of the seven large landmasses on the earth |
| delta | flat, low-lying land built up from soil carried downstream by a river and deposited at its mouth |
| divide | stretch of high land that separates river systems |
| downstream | direction in which a river or stream flows from its source to its mouth |
| elevation | height of land above sea level |
| Equator | imaginary line that runs around the earth halfway between the North and South Poles; used as the starting point to measure degrees of north and south latitude |
| glacier | large, thick body of slow moving ice |
| gulf | part of a large body of water that extends into a shoreline, generally larger and more deeply indented that a bay |
| harbor | a sheltered place along a shoreline where ships can anchor safely |
| highland | elevated land such as a hill, mountain, or plateau |
| hill | elevated land with sloping sided and rounded summit; generally smaller than a mountain |
| island | land area, smaller that a continent, completely surrounded by water |
| isthmus | narrow stretch of land connecting two larger land areas |
| lake | a sizable inland body of water |
| latitude | distance north or south of the Equator, measured in degrees |
| longitude | distance east or west of the Prime Meridian, measured in degrees |
| lowland | land, usually level, at a low elevation |
| map | drawing of the earth shown on a flat surface |
| meridian | one of many lines of the global grid running for the North Pole to the South Pole; used to measure degrees of longitude |
| mesa | broad, flat-topped landform with steep sides; smaller than a plateau |
| mountain | land with steep sides that rise sharply (1,000 feet or more) from surrounding land; generally larger and more rugged than a hill |
| mountain peak | pointed top of a mountain |
| mountain range | a series of connected mountains |
| mouth | (of a river) place where a stream or river flows into a larger body of water |
| ocean | on of the four major bodies of salt water that surrounds the continents |
| ocean current | stream of either cold or warm water that surrounds the continents |
| parallel | one of many lines on the global grid that circles the earth north or south of the Equator; used to measure degrees of latitude |
| peninsula | body of land jutting into a lake or ocean, surrounded on three sides by water |
| physical feature | characteristic of a place occurring naturally, such as a landform, body of water, climate pattern, or resource |
| plain | area of level land, usually at low elevation and often covered with grasses |
| plateau | area of flat or rolling land at a high elevation, about 300- 3,000 feet high |
| Prime Meridian | line of the global grid running from the North Pole to the South Pole through Greenwich, England; starting point for measuring degrees of east and west longitude |
| relief | changes in elevation over a given land |
| river | large natural stream of water that runs through the land |
| sea | large body of water completely or partly surrounded by land |
| seacoast | land lying next to a sea or an ocean |
| sound | broad inland body of water, often between a coastline and one or more islands off the coast |
| source | (of a river) place where a river or stream begins, often in highlands |
| strait | narrow stretch of water joining two larger bodies of water |
| tributary | small river or stream that flaws into a large river or stream; a branch of a river or stream |
| upstream | direction opposite the flow of a river; toward the source of a river or stream |
| valley | area of low land between hills or mountains |
| volcano | mountain created as liquid rock and ash erupt from inside the earth |