Physical Geography of Land, CON-ELL

Earth’s geographic history has been one marked by significant overall change, with ice ages, continental drift, and other major disruptions ultimately shaping Earth's land into the landscape of mountain ranges, deserts, islands, and volcanoes that we see today.
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Physical Geography of Land Encyclopedia Articles By Title

Conner, Mount
Mount Conner, most easterly of central Australia’s giant tors, or monoliths, which include Uluru/Ayers Rock and......
continent
continent, one of the larger continuous masses of land, namely, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica,......
continental crust
continental crust, the outermost layer of Earth’s lithosphere that makes up the planet’s continents and continental......
Continental Divide
Continental Divide, fairly continuous ridge of north-south–trending mountain summits in western North America which......
continental margin
continental margin, the submarine edge of the continental crust distinguished by relatively light and isostatically......
continental shelf
continental shelf, a broad, relatively shallow submarine terrace of continental crust forming the edge of a continental......
continental shield
continental shield, any of the large stable areas of low relief in the Earth’s crust that are composed of Precambrian......
continental slope
continental slope, seaward border of the continental shelf. The world’s combined continental slope has a total......
Cooper Basin
Cooper Basin, arid topographical depression and site of natural gas and oil fields in northeastern South Australia.......
Copernicus
Copernicus, one of the most prominent craters on the Moon. It constitutes a classic example of a relatively young,......
coral island
coral island, tropical island built of organic material derived from skeletons of corals and numerous other animals......
coral reef
coral reef, ridge or hummock formed in shallow ocean areas by algae and the calcareous skeletons of certain coelenterates,......
cordillera
cordillera, (from old Spanish cordilla, “cord,” or “little rope”), a system of mountain ranges that often consist......
Corfu
Corfu, island in the Ionian Sea (Modern Greek: Iónio Pélagos), with adjacent small islands making up the dímos......
Corinth, Isthmus of
Isthmus of Corinth, isthmus dividing the Saronic Gulf (an inlet of the Aegean Sea) from the Gulf of Corinth (Modern......
Cornwallis Island
Cornwallis Island, one of the Parry Islands in the Arctic Ocean, Baffin region, Nunavut territory, Canada. Located......
Coromandel Peninsula
Coromandel Peninsula, peninsula, east-central North Island, New Zealand. Extending into the South Pacific Ocean......
Corregidor Island
Corregidor Island, rocky island, strategically located at the entrance of Manila Bay, just south of Bataan province,......
Corrientes, Cape
Cape Corrientes, cape on the Pacific Ocean, southwestern Jalisco state, west central Mexico. The headland, rising......
Corsica
Corsica, collectivité territoriale (territorial collectivity) of France and island in the Mediterranean Sea embracing......
Corvo Island
Corvo Island, volcanic island, northernmost of the Azores, east-central North Atlantic. With an area of 6.8 square......
Cos
Cos, island off the southwestern coast of Turkey, the third largest of the Dodecanese Islands, Greece. A ragged......
Cotswolds
Cotswolds, ridge of limestone hills extending for about 50 miles (80 km) across south-central England. The Cotswolds......
Cozumel
Cozumel, island in the Caribbean Sea, about 10 miles (16 km) off the eastern coast of the Yucatán Peninsula, in......
crater
crater, circular depression in the surface of a planetary body. Most craters are the result of impacts of meteorites......
craton
craton, the stable interior portion of a continent characteristically composed of ancient crystalline basement......
Cres
Cres, island in the Kvarner group, northwest Croatia, in the Adriatic Sea, off the east coast of Istria. With an......
Creswell Crags
Creswell Crags, ravine about 1,500 feet (450 m) long, near Creswell in northeastern Derbyshire, England. It contains......
Crete
Crete, island in the eastern Mediterranean Sea that is one of 13 administrative regions (periféreies) of Greece.......
crevasse
crevasse, fissure or crack in a glacier resulting from stress produced by movement. Crevasses range up to 20 m......
Crimean Peninsula
Crimean Peninsula, peninsula coterminous with the autonomous republic of Crimea, Ukraine, lying between the Black......
Croker Island
Croker Island, island in Northern Territory, Australia, lying 2 miles (3 km) across Bowen Strait in the Arafura......
Crowsnest Pass
Crowsnest Pass, pass in the Canadian Rockies at the Alberta–British Columbia border, Canada, 7 mi (11 km) south......
cuesta
cuesta, physical feature that has a steep cliff or escarpment on one side and a gentle dip or back slope on the......
Cueva de las Manos
Cueva de las Manos, archaeological site comprising a stunning collection of cave art, perhaps best known for featuring......
Culebra Island
Culebra Island, island, Puerto Rico, 20 miles (30 km) east of Puerto Rico island and 15 miles west of St. Thomas,......
Culion Island
Culion Island, island, one of the Calamian Group, west-central Philippines. The island is the site of Culion Reservation,......
Cumberland Gap
Cumberland Gap, natural pass (elevation 1,640 feet [500 metres]) that was cut through the Cumberland Plateau in......
Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, National historical park, Tennessee, U.S. Created in 1940 to preserve......
Cumberland Islands
Cumberland Islands, archipelago in the Great Barrier Reef, off the eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. The......
Cumberland Narrows
Cumberland Narrows, scenic gorge 1,000 feet (305 metres) deep in Allegany county, northwestern Maryland, U.S.,......
Cumbraes, the
the Cumbraes, two islands in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland. They lie between the island of Bute to the west and......
Curaçao
Curaçao, island in the Caribbean Sea and a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is situated some 37......
Curzon Line
Curzon Line, demarcation line between Poland and Soviet Russia that was proposed during the Russo-Polish War of......
Cyclades
Cyclades, group of about 30 islands, South Aegean (Modern Greek: Nótio Aigaío) periféreia (region), southeastern......
Cynoscephalae
Cynoscephalae, (Greek: “Dogs’ Heads”), ancient range of hills in Thessaly, Greece, 7 miles (11 km) west of modern......
Cypress Hills
Cypress Hills, isolated range in southeastern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan, Canada, extending for 100......
Cythera
Cythera, island, southernmost and easternmost of the Ionian Islands, off the southern Peloponnesus (Pelopónnisos).......
Dakhin Shahbazpur Island
Dakhin Shahbazpur Island, island located in the Meghna River estuary, south-central Bangladesh. The island, some......
Darling Range
Darling Range, scarp or fault at the edge of the Great Plateau in Western Australia, paralleling the southwest......
Daru
Daru, port and small island, southwestern Papua New Guinea, southwestern Pacific Ocean. Daru Island is located......
Dauphin Island
Dauphin Island, island in the Gulf of Mexico, at the entrance to Mobile Bay off the southwest coast of Alabama,......
Death Valley
Death Valley, structural depression primarily in Inyo county, southeastern California, U.S. It is the lowest, hottest,......
Deception Island
Deception Island, one of the South Shetland Islands, in the Drake Passage, off the Antarctic Peninsula. It is a......
Delmarva Peninsula
Delmarva Peninsula, portion of the Atlantic Coastal Plain of the United States, extending southward between the......
Delos
Delos, island, one of the smallest of the Cyclades (Modern Greek: Kykládes), Greece, an ancient centre of religious,......
delta
delta, low-lying plain that is composed of stream-borne sediments deposited by a river at its mouth. A brief treatment......
Denisova Cave
Denisova Cave, site of paleoanthropological excavations in the Anui River valley roughly 60 miles (100 km) south......
desert pavement
desert pavement, surface of angular, interlocking fragments of pebbles, gravel, or boulders in arid areas. Desert......
Devils Island
Devils Island, rocky islet off the Atlantic coast of French Guiana. The smallest of the three Îles du Salut, about......
Devilsbit Mountain
Devilsbit Mountain, range of hills in County Tipperary, Ireland, that extends from the boundary of County Limerick......
Devil’s Lair
Devil’s Lair, cave in southwestern Western Australia, Australia, that is considered to be among the most important......
Devon Island
Devon Island, largest of the Parry Islands, in Nunavut, Canada, in the Arctic Ocean south of Ellesmere Island and......
Dezhnyov, Cape
Cape Dezhnyov, cape, extreme eastern Russia. Cape Dezhnyov is the easternmost point of the Chukchi Peninsula and......
Diamond Head
Diamond Head, cape and celebrated landmark, Honolulu county, southeastern Oahu island, Hawaii, U.S. It lies at......
Diamond, Cape
Cape Diamond, promontory in Québec region, southern Quebec province, Canada. It is part of the city of Quebec and......
Diego Garcia
Diego Garcia, coral atoll, largest and southernmost member of the Chagos Archipelago, in the central Indian Ocean,......
Dingle Peninsula
Dingle Peninsula, peninsula and bay in County Kerry, on the southwestern coast of Ireland. The peninsula begins......
Dirk Hartog Island
Dirk Hartog Island, Australian island in the Indian Ocean, just north of Edel Land Peninsula, Western Australia.......
Djursland
Djursland, eastward projection of Jutland, Denmark, northeast of Århus. Water bounds it on three sides: Århus Bay......
Dodecanese
Dodecanese, group of islands in the Aegean Sea, off the southwestern coast of Turkey in southeastern Greece. The......
Dominica
Dominica, island country of the Lesser Antilles in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It lies between the French islands......
Donner Pass
Donner Pass, pass, in the Sierra Nevada of northern California, U.S., that is the most important transmontane route......
Door Peninsula
Door Peninsula, area of land, eastern Wisconsin, U.S. Lying between Green Bay and Lake Michigan, Door Peninsula......
Downs
Downs, rounded and grass-covered hills in southern England that are typically composed of chalk. The name comes......
drainage basin
drainage basin, area from which all precipitation flows to a single stream or set of streams. For example, the......
drumlin
drumlin, oval or elongated hill believed to have been formed by the streamlined movement of glacial ice sheets......
Dukla Pass
Dukla Pass, passage through the Carpathian Mountains (locally, the eastern Beskids), on the frontier between Slovakia......
Dunderlands
Dunderlands, valley, along the lower course of the Rana River, north-central Norway. On the Arctic Circle, it extends......
Dungeness
Dungeness, promontory on the south coast of the administrative and historic county of Kent, southeastern England.......
Dunk Island
Dunk Island, island in the Family Islands group, 3 miles (5 km) off the coast of northeastern Queensland, Australia.......
Dunnet Head
Dunnet Head, a rounded, cliffed sandstone headland in the Highland council area, Scotland, that is the northernmost......
Durand Line
Durand Line, international land border that stretches for about 1,600 miles (2,600 km) between Afghanistan and......
Désirade, La
La Désirade, island in the Lesser Antilles, eastern Caribbean Sea, and a dependency of Guadeloupe, an overseas......
East African Rift System
East African Rift System, one of the most extensive rifts on Earth’s surface, extending from Jordan in southwestern......
East Falkland
East Falkland, one of the two major islands of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is 90 miles......
East Rajasthan Uplands
East Rajasthan Uplands, highlands in southeastern Rajasthan state, northwestern India. Located east of the Aravalli......
East Scotia Basin
East Scotia Basin, submarine trough of the eastern Scotia Sea, a part of the South Atlantic Ocean southeast of......
Easter Island
Easter Island, Chilean dependency in the eastern Pacific Ocean. It is the easternmost outpost of the Polynesian......
Eden, Vale of
Vale of Eden, broad valley in the administrative county of Cumbria, England, separating the northern Pennines from......
Egadi Islands
Egadi Islands, small mountainous group of islets belonging to Italy, in the Mediterranean just off the western......
Eildon Hills
Eildon Hills, three conical hills in the Scottish Borders council area, Scot., east of Melrose. Reaching heights......
Elba
Elba, island off the west coast of Italy, in the Tyrrhenian Sea. Elba has an area of 86 square miles (223 square......
Elcho Island
Elcho Island, island, Northern Territory, Australia, in the Arafura Sea. It is situated 2 miles (3 km) across Cadell......
Elephanta Island
Elephanta Island, island located in Mumbai (Bombay) Harbour of the Arabian Sea, about 6 miles (10 km) east of Mumbai......
Elephantine
Elephantine, island in the Nile opposite Aswān city in Aswān muḥāfaẓah (governorate), Upper Egypt. Elephantine......
Ellesmere Island
Ellesmere Island, largest island of the Queen Elizabeth Islands, Baffin region, Nunavut territory, Canada, located......

Physical Geography of Land Encyclopedia Articles By Title