Exploring Earth's Landforms and Water Bodies

1. Landforms, Water bodies, Physical Regions

2. Landform • Or “landmass” – they make up the surface of the earth. The four major land forms are: mountains, hills, plains and plateaus.

3. Elevation: • Tells you the height above sea level of a landform

4. Sea Level:

5. Mountain • High and rugged with an elevation of at least 2,000 feet:

6. Hill • Steep slopes but much smaller than mountains, tops or summits are more rounded. Elevation: 500 to 2,000 feet

7. Plains • Large areas of flat or gently rolling lands:

8. Plateaus • Raised plains with steep cliffs on one or more sides with elevations of at least 2,000 feet. Low relief.

10. Relief: • Shows you the changes in elevation of a land surface

11. Water bodies • Oceans, seas, lakes and rivers. They cover 70 percent of the surface of the earth. • “The Blue Planet”

12. Ocean • Made up of salt water and are the largest bodies of water on earth.

13. Seas • Smaller than oceans, made up of salt water but for the most part are landlocked.

15. Lakes • Inland bodies of fresh, standing water

16. Rivers • Bodies of fresh, moving water. Every river begins at the “source” and ends at the “mouth”.