US Geography Vocabulary

large areas of nearly flat land

• prairie

• plains

• butte

• canyon

Lands that are covered with

tall grass and very few trees

• prairies

• plains

• desert

• butte

A heavily eroded dry

region with colorful,

sculpted rock formations

• butte

• prairies

• plains

• badlands

A part of an ocean or sea that

is surrounded by a lot of land

• butte

• Continental Divide

• delta

• gulf

Land made of silt left behind as a

river drains into a larger body of

water, such as a gulf

• prairies

• delta

• butte

• gulf

A large area of elevated flatland

• plains

• prairie

• plateau

• butte

A hill with a flat top; smaller than

plateaus.

• mesa

• plateau

• prairies

• plains

A small, flat-topped hill

that is smaller than a mesa or a plateau

• butte

• canyon

• desert

• gulf

A deep, narrow valley with steep sides, often with a

stream or river running through it

• desert

• plains

• canyon

• delta

An extremely dry

environment, but some

plants and animals have adapted to it

• badlands

• delta

• butte

• desert