Landforms — Geography, 7–10 years
Landforms are the natural shapes of the land, such as mountains, valleys, plains and hills.
Shapes made by nature
A landform is a natural shape on Earth’s surface. A mountain rises high, a valley is low land between higher areas, a plain is broad and fairly level, and a hill is raised land that is usually lower than a mountain.
Why name landforms
The problem is that Earth’s surface is too varied to describe with only “high” and “low”. Names for landforms let people share useful information: a valley may offer a route, a plain may suit farming, and a mountain may block travel.
Sorting a landscape
Imagine a place with a long, flat area, steep sides rising on both edges and a stream in the lowest part. First, notice that the land is low between higher sides. This is a valley. The stream may flow along its floor, while the steep sides are slopes or hills.
The reasonable mistake
A reasonable mistake is to think every high point is a mountain and every low place is a valley. Height alone is not enough: a hill can be high, and a valley needs higher land around it. Look at the shape and the land nearby, not just one spot.
Landforms around us
Landforms affect where roads, houses and farms can be built. A road may follow a valley instead of climbing a steep mountain, and fields are often easier to work on flatter land. Maps and travel guides use landform names to help describe a place.
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