Glossary Unit 1 (Social Sciences)

THE EARTH'S SURFACE

1-Geographical features: The combined action of internal and external forces shapes the surface of the Earth.
2-Cape: A headland or promontory
3-Massif:A large mountain mass compact group of connected mountains forming an independent or portion of a range.
4-Coast: The line or zone where the land meets the sea or some other large expanse of water.
5-Inlet: A thin channel of water that leads inland from the sea.
6-Fjords: Inlets created by glaciation. Are usually found on mountains coastlines.
7-Headland: A small area of land that projects out into the sea.
8-Peninsula: A large scale headland surrounded by water on three sides.
9-Isthmus: A peninsula can be connected to the land by a thin strech of land.
10-Island: A piece of land completely surrounded by water.
11-Archipelago: A group of related islands close together.
12-Gulf: An area of sea surrounded by land on three sides.It forms the shape of an arc.
13-Bay: Is similar to a gulf but generally smaller.
14-Oceanic ridge: An Underwater mountain range that generally covers a large area and reaches high altitudes.
15-Oceanic trench: A long depression of the ocean floor.
16-Abissal plain: A flat area of the ocean floor.
17-Continental shelf: The undersea extension of a continent that descends gradually to depths of around 400m.
18- Continental slope: A steep underwater area that links the continental shelf with the ocean floor.
19-Mountain: A large landform that is higher than the surrounding land.
20-Mountain range: Is a continuous chain of mountains.
21-Basin: An area of land that is chained by a river or a lake and that is lower than the surrounding area.
22-Valley: Is a linear depression in the land. A river valley is V-shaped due to the action of a river running through it. Glacial valleys are U-shaped because they have been formed by a moving glacier.
23-Plateau: A flat area of land which sits at a certain altitude above sea level.
24-Plain: A large, open, flat or slightly undulating area of land.
25-Cliff: A high steep, or overchanging face of rock.
26-Delta: The flat alluvial area at the mouth of some rivers where the mainstream splits up into several distributaries.
27-Lagoons: A body of water out off from the open sea by coral reefs or sand bars.
28-Marshes: Low poorly drained land that is sometimes flooded and often lies at the edge of lakes,streams,etc,.