Water Terms
A sizable inland body of water.
Lake
Land area, smaller than a continent, completely surrounded by water.
Island
Large natural stream of water that runs through land.
River
Steep high wall of rock, earth, or ice
Cliff
Area of low land usually between hills or mountains.
Valley
One of the 5 major bodies of salt water that surrounds the continents.
Ocean
Land with steep sides that rises sharply from surrounding land.
Mountain
Place where a river begins.
Source of a River
Large, thick body of slowly moving ice
Glacier
A sheltered place along a shoreline where ships can anchor.
Harbor
Part of a large body of water that extends into a shoreline, larger and more deep than a bay
Gulf
Deep and narrow valley with steep walls
Canyon
Place where a stream or river flows into a large body of water.
Mouth of a River
Area of level land, usually at low elevation and often covered with grasses.
Plain
Area of land surrounded by higher elevations; bowl shaped.
Basin
Broad inland body of water, often between a coastline and one or more islands off the coast
Sound
Body of land surrounded by water on 3 sides.
Peninsula
Flat, low-lying land built up from soil carried downstream by a river and deposited at its mouth.
Delta
Point of land that extends into a river, lake, or ocean.
Cape
Mountain or hill created as liquid rock and ash erupt from inside the Earth.
Volcano
Part of a large body of water that extends into a shoreline, generally smaller that a Gulf.
Bay
A group of islands like Hawaii or the Bahamas
Archipelago
Small river or stream that flows into a large river; a branch of a river.
Tributary
Area of flat or rolling land at high elevation.
Plateau
A large natural or artificial lake used as a source of water supply.
Reservoir