Physical Geography of Land, TOK-YEL

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

Tokelau
Tokelau, island territory of New Zealand, consisting of three atolls in the South Pacific Ocean. Tokelau lies about......
tombolo
tombolo, one or more sandbars or spits that connect an island to the mainland. A single tombolo may connect a tied......
tor
tor, exposed rock mass of jointed and broken blocks. Tors are seldom more than 15 metres (50 feet) high and often......
Torcello
Torcello, island-village in the Laguna Veneta (Venice Lagoon) and an eastern environ of Venice, Italy. Founded......
toreva block
toreva block, landslide product consisting of a very large block of undisturbed material that has been tilted backward......
Torres Strait Islands
Torres Strait Islands, island group in the Torres Strait, north of Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia,......
Tortola
Tortola, largest of the British Virgin Islands, part of the Lesser Antilles chain, which separates the Atlantic......
Tortue Island
Tortue Island, Caribbean island off the northern coast of Haiti opposite Port-de-Paix. European adventurers settled......
Touat
Touat, oasis group, west-central Algeria. Situated along the Wadi Messaoud (called Wadi Saoura farther north),......
Touggourt
Touggourt, chief town of the Wadi RʾHir region, northeastern Algeria. It lies in the Sahara in the Wadi Igharghar......
Tozeur
Tozeur, oasis in west-central Tunisia. It is located to the south of Tunisia’s steppe region in the jarīd (palm)......
Transcontinental Treaty
Transcontinental Treaty, (1819) accord between the United States and Spain that divided their North American claims......
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago, island country of the southeastern West Indies. It consists of two main islands—Trinidad and......
Tripura Hills
Tripura Hills, hills in eastern Tripura state, northeastern India. The Tripura Hills, by way of the Mizo Hills......
Trois Frères
Trois Frères, cave in Ariège, France, containing an important group of Late Paleolithic paintings and engravings.......
tufa cave
tufa cave, umbrella-like canopy formed as a calcium-carbonate-saturated stream plunges over a cliff. As the water......
Tulagi
Tulagi, town and island in the Solomon Islands, southwestern Pacific Ocean, north of Guadalcanal. The island has......
Turfan Depression
deep mountain basin in the Uyghur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang, northwestern China. The Turfan Depression is a......
Turgay Valley
Turgay Valley, depression in western Kazakhstan. Some 12–125 miles (20–200 km) wide, it runs roughly north-south......
Turks and Caicos Islands
Turks and Caicos Islands, overseas territory of the United Kingdom in the West Indies. It consists of two groups......
Tutuila Island
Tutuila Island, largest island in American Samoa, in the south-central Pacific Ocean, about 1,600 miles (2,600......
Tycho
Tycho, conspicuous impact crater resulting from an impact event and lying at the centre of the most extensive system......
Tínos
Tínos, island in the Cyclades (Modern Greek: Kykládes) group of Greek Aegean islands; in antiquity it was known......
Ulithi Atoll
Ulithi Atoll, coral atoll, Federated States of Micronesia, in the western Pacific Ocean. It comprises roughly 40......
Ulleung Island
Ulleung Island, volcanic island, North Gyeongsang do (province), South Korea. Ulleung Island is the main island......
Uluru/Ayers Rock
Uluru/Ayers Rock, giant monolith, one of the tors (isolated masses of weathered rock) in southwestern Northern......
Ungava
Ungava, peninsular section of northern Quebec province, Canada, bounded by the Hudson Strait (north), Ungava Bay......
United States Virgin Islands
United States Virgin Islands, organized unincorporated island territory of the United States, situated at the eastern......
Upolu
Upolu, most populous island of Samoa, in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies across the Apolima Strait from the island......
Utah Beach
Utah Beach, the westernmost beach of the five landing areas of the Normandy Invasion of World War II. It was assaulted......
Valdai Hills
Valdai Hills, upland region running north-south, about midway between St. Petersburg and Moscow, Russia. The hills......
Valle Central
Valle Central, highland valley in central Costa Rica, containing most of the country’s large cities and about seven-tenths......
Valles Marineris
Valles Marineris, vast system of interconnected canyons on the planet Mars. The system was discovered during, and......
valley
valley, elongate depression of the Earth’s surface. Valleys are most commonly drained by rivers and may occur in......
Valtellina
Valtellina, upper valley of the Adda River from its sources in the Ortles mountains westward to its entry into......
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island, island lying off southwestern mainland British Columbia, Canada. With an area of 12,079 square......
Vanua Lava
Vanua Lava, volcanic island in the Banks Islands of Vanuatu, southwestern Pacific Ocean, 75 miles (120 km) north-northeast......
Vanua Levu Island
Vanua Levu Island, second largest island of Fiji, bordering the Koro Sea in the South Pacific Ocean, 40 miles (64......
Vatnajökull
Vatnajökull, extensive ice field, southeastern Iceland, covering an area of 3,200 square miles (8,400 square km)......
veld
veld, name given to various types of open country in Southern Africa that is used for pasturage and farmland. To......
Vendsyssel-Thy
Vendsyssel-Thy, island at the north end of Jutland, Denmark, known as Vendsyssel in the east and Thy in the west.......
Vestmanna Islands
Vestmanna Islands, group of 14 small Icelandic islands off Iceland’s southern shore. They have a total area of......
Victoria Island
Victoria Island, second largest island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Divided administratively between the......
Vieques Island
Vieques Island, island and municipio (municipality), Puerto Rico. It lies 13 miles (21 km) east of the main island,......
Villegagnon Island
Villegagnon Island, island in Guanabara Bay, southeastern Brazil, connected by a causeway to Rio de Janeiro’s Santos......
Virgin Gorda Island
Virgin Gorda Island, one of the British Virgin Islands, in the West Indies, lying 80 miles (130 km) east of Puerto......
Vis
Vis, island of Croatia in the Adriatic Sea. It is the outermost major island of the Dalmatian archipelago. The......
Viti Levu
Viti Levu, largest island (4,026 square miles [10,429 square km]) of Fiji, west of the Koro Sea in the South Pacific......
volcanic dome
volcanic dome, any steep-sided mound that is formed when lava reaching the Earth’s surface is so viscous that it......
Vostok Island
Vostok Island, coral atoll in the Southern Line Islands, part of Kiribati, southwestern Pacific Ocean. It lies......
Vulcano Island
Vulcano Island, southernmost of the Eolie Islands, in the Tyrrhenian Sea (of the Mediterranean), off northeastern......
Waigeo Island
Waigeo Island, largest island of the Raja Ampat group in the Dampier Strait, West Papua (Papua Barat) province,......
Waiheke Island
Waiheke Island, island, southern Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana, off the east coast of North Island, New Zealand. It......
Waipio Valley
Waipio Valley, valley in the Kohala Mountains, northern Hawaii island, Hawaii, U.S. Enveloped on three sides by......
Waitomo
Waitomo, limestone caves, north-central North Island, New Zealand. They lie about 50 miles (80 km) south of Hamilton.......
Wake Island
Wake Island, atoll in the central Pacific Ocean, about 2,300 miles (3,700 km) west of Honolulu. It is an unincorporated......
Walpole Island
Walpole Island, small, uninhabited coralline limestone island in the French overseas country of New Caledonia,......
Watch Your Step: 6 Things You Can Fall Into
This world is not made for the weak—neither in society nor in the physical world. There you are, making your way......
waterfall
waterfall, area where flowing river water drops abruptly and nearly vertically (see video). Waterfalls represent......
wave-cut platform
wave-cut platform, gently sloping rock ledge that extends from the high-tide level at the steep-cliff base to below......
Webster–Ashburton Treaty
Webster–Ashburton Treaty, (1842), treaty between the U.S. and Great Britain establishing the northeastern boundary......
Wensleydale
Wensleydale, the upper valley (dale) of the River Ure in the Pennine highlands of Richmondshire district, administrative......
West Falkland
West Falkland, one of the two major islands of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is 80 miles......
West Frisian Islands
West Frisian Islands, part of the chain of Frisian Islands, which lie in the North Sea just off the coast of northwestern......
West Scotia Basin
West Scotia Basin, submarine trough of the Scotia Sea, an arm of the South Atlantic Ocean, about 500 miles (800......
Wetar Island
Wetar Island, island in the Banda Sea, Maluku provinsi (“province”), Indonesia. It lies 35 miles (56 km) north......
wetland
wetland, complex ecosystem characterized by flooding or saturation of the soil, which creates low-oxygen environments......
Whakaari/White Island
Whakaari/White Island, island in the Bay of Plenty, 43 miles (69 km) west of Cape Runaway, eastern North Island,......
Wharfedale
Wharfedale, upper valley of the River Wharfe within the Pennine uplands, in the historic county of Yorkshire, England,......
What Causes Sinkholes?
Sinkholes are depressions that form when the underlying limestone bedrock is eroded or dissolved by groundwater.......
What’s the Difference Between a Glacier and an Ice Floe?
While it is true that both glaciers and ice floes are large masses of ice that can be found in arctic regions,......
What’s the Difference Between Great Britain and the United Kingdom?
The names Great Britain and United Kingdom are often used interchangeably. However, they are not actually synonymous.......
Where Do the Great Smoky Mountains Get Their Name?
The Cherokee Nation, the original inhabitants of the western segment of the high Appalachian Mountains in the southeastern......
Whidbey Island
Whidbey Island, island, part of Island county, northwestern Washington, U.S., in Puget Sound. Approximately 40......
Whiddy Island
Whiddy Island, island in Bantry Bay, County Cork, Ireland. It lies 2 miles (3 km) west of Bantry, at the head of......
Whitsunday Island
Whitsunday Island, largest of the Cumberland Islands, lying 6 miles (10 km) off the northeastern coast of Queensland,......
Why Are Icebergs Blue?
Icebergs appear blue because of the way light interacts with the ice’s structure. When light enters the iceberg,......
Why Are There Two Colorado Rivers?
Two distinct rivers in the United States share the name Colorado, each with its own geography and history. The......
Why Is Ireland Two Countries?
The island of Ireland comprises the Republic of Ireland, which is a sovereign country, and Northern Ireland, which......
Why Is It Called the Persian Gulf?
The term Persian Gulf refers to Persia—a historic region associated with modern Iran—whose coastal lands lie along......
Why Is Niagara Falls Famous?
Niagara Falls is famous for its beauty and uniqueness as a physical phenomenon. It is situated on the border between......
Why Is the Huang He River Known as China’s Sorrow?
The Huang He, also known as the Yellow River, is often referred to as “China’s Sorrow” due to its long history......
Wight, Isle of
Isle of Wight, island, unitary authority, and geographic county, part of the historic county of Hampshire. It lies......
Williston Basin
Williston Basin, large sedimentary basin along the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains in western North Dakota,......
Willow Palisade
Willow Palisade, ditch and embankment built across parts of southern Northeast China (historically called Manchuria)......
Wilsons Promontory
Wilsons Promontory, southernmost point of the Australian mainland. It lies in Victoria, about 110 miles (175 km)......
Wind Cave National Park
Wind Cave National Park, scenic area in southwestern South Dakota, U.S., about 35 miles (56 km) south-southwest......
Witwatersrand
Witwatersrand, ridge of gold-bearing rock mostly in Gauteng province, South Africa. Its name means “Ridge of White......
Wolin
Wolin, island off the northwestern coast of Poland, in Zachodniopomorskie województwo (province). It is surrounded......
world’s largest islands
At some level, all of us live on landmasses surrounded by water. Earth’s continents, even those that are connected......
Wrangel Island
Wrangel Island, island, in Chukotka autonomous okrug (district), far northeastern Russia, lying in the Arctic Ocean......
Wyandotte Cave
Wyandotte Cave, cave in Crawford county, southern Indiana, U.S., near the village of Wyandotte, about 30 miles......
Wāḥāt al-Khārijah, Al-
Al-Wāḥāt al-Khārijah, oasis in the Libyan (Western) Desert, part of Al-Wādī al-Jadīd (“New Valley”) muḥāfaẓah (governorate),......
Yablonitsky Pass
Yablonitsky Pass, pass in the outer eastern Carpathians of western Ukraine, an important route connecting the country’s......
Yamal Peninsula
Yamal Peninsula, Arctic lowland region in northwestern Siberia, west-central Russia. It is bounded on the west......
yardang
yardang, large area of soft, poorly consolidated rock and bedrock surfaces that have been extensively grooved,......
Yarkand
Yarkand, oasis city, southwestern Uygur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang, far western China. It is situated in an......
Yellowhead Pass
Yellowhead Pass, route through the Rocky Mountains, at the Alberta–British Columbia border, Canada, just west of......

Physical Geography of Land Encyclopedia Articles By Title