Landforms PDF

# The Earth - Its Movements and Forms ## Landforms ### Key Concepts: - **Physical features:** These are the natural features on the surface of the Earth like land and water. - **Landforms:** These are any special physical features on the surface of the Earth. ### Types of landforms: - **Mounta...

# The Earth - Its Movements and Forms ## Landforms ### Key Concepts: - **Physical features:** These are the natural features on the surface of the Earth like land and water. - **Landforms:** These are any special physical features on the surface of the Earth. ### Types of landforms: - **Mountains, hills and plateaus** - **Plains, valleys and deserts** - **Island and Peninsula** ## Physical Features The Earth is covered with land and water. The land is not the same all over the world. It is high at some places and deep in some other areas. Some places are near a water source, others are not. These features are not made by humans. They are made by nature. There are different kinds of landforms on our Earth. Let us explore some of these. ## Plains A plain is a level land which is flat or gently rolling. It is easy to build roads, houses and buildings on the plains. That is why plains are the most heavily populated parts on the Earth's surface. Plains near rivers are very fertile and suitable for growing crops, for example, the plains of the river Ganga in India. **Farming in the plains** ## Hill You must have heard about people going to hill stations during their summer vacation. A hill is a naturally raised area, higher than the land around it. Hills are higher than the plains, so they have pleasant weather. Generally, hills are up to 600 metres high, but they may differ in height. Hills which are very high, receive snowfall in the winter. Many hilly areas have thick vegetation and orchards. Since they have pleasant weather, many hills have become popular tourist spots. Shimla and Ooty are examples of famous hill stations in India. **Landscape of Ooty** ## Mountain A mountain is a landform that rises high above the surrounding land. Mountains are made from rocky land, and are higher and steeper than hills. In fact, a mountain is the highest landform on the Earth. Generally, mountains are higher than 600 metres and have some special features. - The side of the mountain is called a slope. - Mountains may have steep or gently sloping sides. - The top of the mountain is known as a summit or peak. - The high mountain peaks are always covered with snow. - Very high mountain slopes are also covered with snow and have very little vegetation. - Trees that grow on the mountains are very special, as they can survive in the snow. - Most of the rivers across the world start from snow-covered mountains as a result of snow melting into water. - A long chain or a group of mountains is called a mountain range. - Mountain ranges are usually very long. - The Rocky Mountains in North America and the Himalayan Mountains in India are examples of famous mountain ranges. - The highest peak in the world is Mt Everest in Nepal. It is approximately 8849 metres high. **A mountain** **M.P** - Sometimes, a huge mass of snow suddenly breaks loose and rolls down a mountain. This is called an avalanche. **The Himalayan Range** **M.P** - Mountains are also present at the bottom of the sea. Some mountains throw up fire and are called volcanoes. These mountains cause a lot of damage on the surface of the Earth. ## Valley A low area of land lying between two hills or mountains is called a valley. In most cases, a river or a stream flows through it. Valleys are formed by continuous running water or moving ice, over a very long time. A valley is either V-shaped or U-shaped. V-shaped valleys are created by rivers. U-shaped valleys are created by rivers with moving ice called glaciers. U-shaped valleys and glaciers are found at very great heights which are always covered with snow. Some famous valleys in India are the Valley of Flowers and the Kashmir Valley. **P - The Valley of Flowers in Uttarakhand has more than 400 varieties of flowering plants. These flowers bloom for a short period of 3-4 months, when the snow melts.** **A river creating a valley** ## Plateau A plateau is a highland which is higher than the surrounding area, but has a flat top. It is also called a tableland because of its flat top. A plateau, however, has one or more steep sides. The largest and the highest plateau in the world is the Tibetan Plateau, which is located in Asia. The Deccan Plateau lies in the southern part of India. **A plateau** ## Desert A desert is a dry, barren land which gets little or no rainfall. There are two types of deserts - hot and cold. Both hot and cold deserts have very harsh climate. Therefore, few people live in these places. The climate is difficult for animal as well as plant life. A hot desert is covered with sand. It is so dry that very few plants can grow there. The dry hot winds carry the sand from one place to another. These deposits of sand form hills which are called sand dunes. The Sahara Desert in Africa is the largest hot desert in the world. The Thar Desert in India is another example of a hot desert. An oasis is the only place in a desert which has a natural source of water, some fertile soil and plant life. People in a hot desert usually live near an oasis. Thorny plants like keekar, babool and baobab are able to survive in hot deserts because they are able to store water. The baobab tree has the capacity to store a lot of water. So it is called the 'bottle tree'. A camel is called the 'Ship of the Desert' because it can store water in its body and remain without water for many weeks. **Camels in a desert** **An oasis in a desert** **M.P** - People who live in a desert, often keep moving from one place to another in search of food and water. They are called nomads. A cold desert is a large stretch of barren land that is completely covered with thick layers of ice for the whole year. It receives little or no rainfall. A cold desert has extremely cold conditions. It has no vegetation and only a few animals like penguins and fur seals can survive there. The continent of Antarctica is an example of a cold desert. Plant life is very rare in the cold deserts. **A fur seal in Antarctica** ## Island An island is a piece of land surrounded by water on all sides. Many islands have been formed after breaking off from the mainland or the continents. These pieces of land seem to be floating over the sea, but they extend all the way down to the sea bed. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are a group of islands in the Bay of Bengal. There are many island countries like Sri Lanka, Maldives, Japan, Madagascar, etc. **An island** ## Peninsula The word peninsula comes from the Latin words 'paene' meaning almost and 'insula' meaning island. A piece of land surrounded by water on three sides is called a peninsula. The southern part of India is a peninsula. It is surrounded by the Arabian Sea in the West, the Bay of Bengal in the East and the Indian Ocean in the South. **A peninsula** **Wise Owl Asks:** We can find different geographical features in India, such as mountains, plains, islands, etc. How do you think they affect the life of the people? **Look at the map key to identify the different physical features of India.** **Map Key:** - **Desert** - **Mount Range** - **Plateau** - **Islands** **Map not to scale**