Earth’s shapes
If you could fly over Earth in a hot-air balloon, you would see land and water in many shapes. The land shapes are called landforms. There are also many kinds of water.
About three-quarters of Earth is covered with water. That’s why Earth looks blue from space!
Land features
| Landform | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Mountain | Very high land with steep sides | The Rocky Mountains |
| Hill | Raised land, lower and rounder than a mountain | A hill you can sled down |
| Valley | Low land between hills or mountains | A river often runs through it |
| Plain | Wide, flat land | The Prairies in Canada |
| Plateau | High, flat land | A tabletop in the sky |
| Island | Land with water all around it | Prince Edward Island |
| Peninsula | Land with water on three sides | Nova Scotia (almost!) |
| Canyon | A deep valley with steep rock walls | The Grand Canyon |
| Volcano | A mountain that can erupt hot melted rock | Mount St. Helens |
Water features
| Water feature | What it is | Fresh or salty? |
|---|---|---|
| Ocean | The biggest, deepest bodies of water | Salty |
| Sea | A smaller part of an ocean | Salty |
| Lake | A large body of water with land all around it | Usually fresh |
| Pond | A small, shallow lake | Fresh |
| River | Flowing water that moves to a lake or ocean | Fresh |
| Stream or creek | A small river | Fresh |
| Waterfall | Where a river drops over a cliff | Fresh |
| Glacier | A huge, slow-moving river of ice | Fresh (frozen) |
The five oceans
Earth has five oceans: the Pacific (the biggest), the Atlantic, the Indian, the Southern and the Arctic. Canada touches three of them: the Pacific, the Atlantic and the Arctic.
Fresh water and salt water
Most of Earth’s water is salty ocean water. We can’t drink salt water. Only a small amount of Earth’s water is fresh water we can use, and much of that is frozen in ice. That’s why it’s important not to waste water.
Rivers shape the land
Rivers start high up, often in mountains, and flow downhill. Over a very long time, moving water carries away tiny bits of rock and soil. This slowly carves valleys and canyons. The Grand Canyon was carved by the Colorado River over millions of years!
Living things and landforms
Different plants and animals live in different places.
- Mountain goats climb steep mountains.
- Fish, frogs and beavers live in rivers and lakes.
- Whales and sharks live in the ocean.
- Bison graze on wide plains.
Maps show landforms
Maps use colours and symbols to show land and water. Blue usually means water. Green often shows low land, and brown shows mountains. A globe is a round model of Earth.
Common mistakes
- Thinking all lakes are salty. Most lakes have fresh water.
- Mixing up hills and mountains. Mountains are higher and steeper.
- Thinking an island must be small. Greenland is an island too!
Try it yourself
- Use playdough or sand to build a mountain, a valley, an island and a lake. Pour a little water in to make a river.
- Look at a map or globe. Find an ocean, a lake, a mountain range and an island.
- Draw a picture of the landforms near where you live.
Quick recap
- Landforms are natural shapes of the land.
- Mountains, hills, valleys, plains and islands are landforms.
- Oceans are salty; most lakes and rivers are fresh.
- Moving water slowly shapes the land.
- Maps and globes show land and water.