Earth’s Land Forms

Our Land Forms

The top solid layer of the earth is called crust.  This forms the earth’s surface.  There are high places or elevations-mountains, volcanoes, hills, islands and other landforms that project out of the bodies of water.

There are large and small masses of land.  The largest land masses are called continents.  There are seven continents.  The Philippines belongs to the continent of Asia.  Some land masses are uninhabited by man.

Mountain

• It is around 3,000 meters above sea level.
• It is the highest form of land.  Mt. Apo is the highest mountain in our country.
• Mountains are usually covered with forests.  Many minerals deposits are found in the mountains.

Volcano

• It is a mountain formed when magma from the deepest part of the earth rises up to the surface.
• When a volcano erupts, it spits of throw out burn rocks or lava, volcanic ash, heated gases, and steam from its crater.
• Lava and volcanic ash make the soil around the volcano fertile.

Hill

• It is similar to a mountain in shape but it is lower.  It is about 300 meters high.
• Hills are usually covered with grass.  They are useful as grazing lands for cattle, goats and carabaos.

Plateau

• It is as high land with a plain top.

Plain

• Is a wide, flat, low land. 
• It is a place where farm crops are grown well.

Valley

• It is also a flat land, but unlike a plain, a valley is surrounded by high lands.
• This kind of land is fertile too.

Island

• It is a body of land surrounded by water.
• The Philippines is composed of more than 7,000 islands.
• A group of islands are called archipelago.

Delta

• It is a land formation at the mouth of a river.

• It contains rich soil which has been washed away and deposited by running water.

Isthmus

• It is a strip or neck of land formation that connects two larger bodies of land.

Peninsula

• It is a portion of land nearly surrounded by water.
• It is connected to the mainland by a strip of a land.

Tags: forms of land, land forms, land forms in earth

Category: Earth Science