We Know that we live on Earth. But what is the Earth actually? Is it a flat piece of land? Is it filled with air? Or is ir something else?
We live on the Earth. Plants and animals also live on the Earth. The Earth is a ball of rock. Its surface is made up of land and water. One fourth of the earth’s surface is covered by land. The portion which forms land on earth’s surface is not the same everywhere. At some places the land may be too high, at some places very low, some areas would be lush green and certain areas are dry and barren.
These different physical features are called the various landforms on the surface of the earth. In simple terms, we say that any shape on the earth’s surface is known as a landform.
The different major landforms are mountains, hills, valleys, plateaus, plains and deserts.
Many rivers and streams flow through plains.
Mountain range is a series of mountains. Mountains could be steep and snow covered or they could be gently sloping having rounded tops.
The highest mountain range in the world is the Himalayas. Some mountains are found under the sea and could be taller that the Mount Everest, which is the highest mountain peak in the world.
The continent of Australia is an island.
The baobab tree can store nearly up to 1000 liters of water in its trunk which enables it to survive the harsh conditions. There are two types of deserts – Hot Deserts and Cold Deserts.
Hot deserts are vast areas of land that are covered with sand and dust. These areas receive little or no rainfall and are very dry.
The animals found in the hot deserts are camels, snakes, lizards and rats. Thar Desert in India is a hot desert.
The Antarctica is the world’s biggest cold desert. School Project Different Landforms:
These different physical features are called the various landforms on the surface of the earth. In simple terms, we say that any shape on the earth’s surface is known as a landform.
The different major landforms are mountains, hills, valleys, plateaus, plains and deserts.
Plains or Land
Plains are areas of flat land. We build houses and grow food on land.Many rivers and streams flow through plains.
Mountains
A mountain is the highest landform on the surface of the earth. It is usually found to be conical in shape with steep sides and a pointed tip called a peak. As compared to their surroundings, mountains are high points on the surface of the earth.Mountain range is a series of mountains. Mountains could be steep and snow covered or they could be gently sloping having rounded tops.
The highest mountain range in the world is the Himalayas. Some mountains are found under the sea and could be taller that the Mount Everest, which is the highest mountain peak in the world.
Hills
High lands are called hills. Hills are lower than mountains but are higher than their surrounding areas. Hills are lower in height than mountains, but they are higher than the surrounding areas. A number of hills together form a ‘range of hills’. Hills are usually covered with grass.Valleys
Lowland between two hills is called a valley. Valleys formed by glaciers are U- shaped valleys. Valleys formed due to the effect of erosion are V – shaped valleys.Narrow valleys are called canyons.Island
An island is a piece of land surrounded by water on all sides.The continent of Australia is an island.
Deserts
Deserts are large, dry and hot areas of land which receive little or no rainfall throughout the year. There is no vegetation due to the shortage of water. Deserts are covered with sand. Sand dunes are formed in deserts. Sand dunes are huge hills of sand formed by the winds. Deserts have extreme weather conditions, days could be very hot and nights very cold. This is because the sand absorbs heat fast during the day and gives off heat quickly at night. The main vegetation found in the deserts are the cacti and the baobab trees.The baobab tree can store nearly up to 1000 liters of water in its trunk which enables it to survive the harsh conditions. There are two types of deserts – Hot Deserts and Cold Deserts.
Hot deserts
Hot deserts are vast areas of land that are covered with sand and dust. These areas receive little or no rainfall and are very dry.
The animals found in the hot deserts are camels, snakes, lizards and rats. Thar Desert in India is a hot desert.
Cold Deserts
The cold deserts are large areas of land covered with snow. These deserts receive little or no rainfall. They receive snowfall during the winters. Animals such as penguins, whales and fur seals survive in the cold deserts.The Antarctica is the world’s biggest cold desert. School Project Different Landforms: