Landforms are the natural features of the Earth’s surface. There are four major types — mountains, hills, plateaus, and plains — but lots of minor landforms such as canyons and valleys. Bodies of water refer to any significant accumulation of water on the earth’s surface, including big ones such as oceans and lakes as well as smaller ones like streams and ponds. Landforms can exist underwater, including oceanic trenches and abyssal plains. The landforms and bodies of water worksheets below can help students master general information about the most common land and water forms.
Did you know?
Landforms can be created or changed.
- When the earth’s tectonic plates move, they can push the land up, creating mountains and hills.
- Land can be worn down by wind and water — this process is called erosion.
- Living things can affect the landforms around them. For example, plants can affect the formation of salt marshes, while coral play a role in the development of reefs.
Land and Water Forms: Worksheet 1
What do you call a body of land completely surrounded by water? What about a body of water completely surrounded by land? This Montessori-inspired worksheet focuses on land and water forms that have similar shapes.
Note: The illustrations in this worksheet are based on the official AMI cards. For what it’s worth, however, we believe the peninsula and cape should be interchanged. A cape is a piece of land that protrudes to the sea or lake beyond its adjacent coast. Like a cape, a peninsula is also connected to the mainland but what makes it different is that most of its border is surrounded by water.
A free printable PDF copy of this worksheet can be found here.
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Did you know?
The highest landform on Earth is Mount Everest.
The deepest landform on Earth is the Mariana Trench.
The deepest part of the Mariana Trench is called Challenger Deep, which has a depth of up to 11,034 meters. In fact, if Mount Everest was placed underwater at this point, its peak would still be more than 2 kilometers below the ocean surface.
Common Landforms: Worksheet 2
This worksheet covers some of the most well-known landforms, including their names, what they look like, and how they are commonly described.
A free printable PDF copy of this worksheet can be found here.
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Did you know?
Some landforms and bodies of water are associated with particular regions of the Earth. For example:
- Calanques are narrow, steep-walled inlets that can be found in France and a few other areas on the Mediterranean coast.
- Glens are what valleys are called in Scotland, Ireland, and the Isle of Man.
- Firths, burns, and lochs are also mostly Scottish, while kills are found in areas in America that were under Dutch influence.
- Uvalas are karst depressions located in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia.
- Fjords are commonly associated with Norway but can actually be found in lots of other places, including Alaska, Chile, New Zealand, Ireland, Antarctica, Scotland, and the Russian archipelago of Novaya Zemlya.
Identifying Landforms and Bodies of Water on a Map: Worksheet 3
From theory to practice! In these two Google maps, can you spot and name the common landforms and bodies of water?
A free printable PDF copy of this worksheet can be found here.
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Did you know?
Bodies of water that are deep, wide, and slow-moving enough for boats and other craft to pass are called waterways.
Venice (Italy) and Amsterdam (Netherland) are the cities most commonly known to have an extensive network of canals. Other “canal cities” include Bruges (Belgium), Birmingham (England), Gdansk (Poland), Aveiro (Portugal), and Saint Petersburg (Russia).
Identifying Landforms in Pictures: Worksheet 4
Landforms make up some of the Earth’s most beautiful sights. Can you spot the landforms pictured below?
A free printable PDF copy of this worksheet can be found here.
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Did you enjoy answering these worksheets?
Try these ones next: Montessori Botany Mastery Worksheets: Types and Parts of Plants
