IES Vasco de la Zarza – Ávila

Geography – 1º British

Adriana Carriles García

UNIT 4 - GLOSSARY

1. CONTINENTAL AND COASTAL RELIEF Mountains: elevations of the terrain above the surrounding land withsteep slopes or sides and an altitude of more than 600 metres. When they are together in “rows” they are knows as sierras or mountain ranges, as the Himalayas (Asia), that is the world’s highest one. Valleys: are areas of low land between mountains. Rivers flow through many valleys. Plains: low, flat areas of land., no higher than 200 metres above sea level. They are formed by large rivers. Plateaus: large plains raised more than 200 metres above sea level. The highest plateaus are the Tibetan High Plateau (Asia) and the Bolivian (South America). Basins (or depressions): sunken or drepressed areas below the surrounding areas. Some are below sea level Coastal relief: coasts are where the continents meet oceans and seas. The coastal relief forms are: Peninsula: an area of land surrounded by water on all sides except one. Isthmus: connects a peninsula to a continent. Cape: part of the coast which extends into the sea Gulf: a large area of sea or ocean partially enclosed by land. Abay is a small gulf Island: an area of land surrounded by water on all sides Archipelago: is a group of islands Beaches: flat coastal area with sand or stones. Cliffs: high coastal area with steep rock formations. Estuary: area formed when the sea flows into de mouth of a river Fiord: strip of sea that comes into the valley of a river / landbetween high cliffs.

2. OCEANIC RELIEF Continental shelf: is the extension of the continents under theseas or oceans. They are vast plateaus which reach a depth of 150-200 metres. Continental slope: is a steep incline found between the continental shelf and the abyssal plain. Abyssal plains: are large flat areas of the deep ocean floor (4,000 or 5,000 metres below sea level). In them we can find: Oceanic ridges: large mountain ranges that rise up 3000 metresfrom the ocean floor. Some of the highest peaks rise above the surface and form islands sucha as the Hawaiian Islands. Oceanic trenches: are large, deep depressions in the ocean floor. The deepest one is the Challenger Deep (11000 metres) in the pacific Ocean.

UNIT 4: The Earth’s relief. GLOSSARY

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