World geography vocabulary: 16 terms with definitions

One of Earth's seven large landmasses, such as Africa or Asia.

Half of Earth, divided by the equator into north and south, or by the prime meridian into east and west.

The imaginary line around the middle of Earth, at 0 degrees latitude.

How far a place is north or south of the equator, measured in degrees.

How far a place is east or west of the prime meridian, measured in degrees.

Land with water on three sides, such as Florida.

A narrow strip of land joining two larger landmasses, such as the Isthmus of Panama.

A group or chain of islands, such as Hawaii.

A large area of high, flat land.

A narrow channel of water joining two larger bodies of water, such as the Strait of Gibraltar.

A cold, treeless region where the ground below the surface stays frozen all year.

A grassland with scattered trees, in warm places with a wet season and a dry season.

A seasonal wind that brings heavy summer rain to South Asia.

Flat land at the mouth of a river, built from the mud and sand the river drops, such as the Nile Delta.

The area of land drained by a river and its streams, or a low, bowl-shaped dip in the land.

A deep, narrow valley with steep sides, cut by a river, such as the Grand Canyon.