🌍 Geography Terms
Comprehensive guide to physical geography terminology — for competitive exams, students, and educators
🇬🇧 English | 🇮🇳 हिंदी📑 Table of Contents
🌊 Large Water Bodies
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1. Ocean महासागर
An Ocean is a continuous body of salt water that covers over 70% of the Earth's surface. Oceans are vast, deep, and contained within enormous basins.
The Five Oceans: Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern (Antarctic), and Arctic. Average Depth: ~3,700m
2. Sea सागर
A Sea is smaller than an ocean and is usually located where land and ocean meet. Seas are typically partially enclosed by land.
Key Difference: Seas are shallower than oceans. Exception: The Sargasso Sea is not bounded by land, but by four ocean currents.
🏖️ Coastal Inlets
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3. Bay खाड़ी
A Bay is a semi-circular body of water where the land curves inward. It has a broad opening to the sea.
Example: Bay of Bengal — largest bay in the world
4. Gulf खाड़ी
A Gulf is similar to a bay but is typically deeper, more enclosed by land, and has a narrower opening.
Example: Gulf of Mexico — largest gulf in the world
5. Fjord फियोर्ड
A Fjord is a long, narrow, deep inlet of the sea between high cliffs. Formed by glacial action (submerged glacial valleys).
Common in: Norway, Chile, New Zealand
🌉 Water Passages
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6. Strait जलडमरूमध्य
A Strait is a naturally formed, narrow waterway that connects two large water bodies and separates two landmasses.
Example: Palk Strait connects Bay of Bengal with Gulf of Mannar, separates India from Sri Lanka
7. Channel चैनल
A Channel is similar to a strait but is wider and deeper. It can be natural or man-made for navigation.
Example: English Channel between England and France
8. Canal नहर
A Canal is a 100% man-made waterway built for irrigation or navigation.
Examples: Suez Canal (Mediterranean ↔ Red Sea), Panama Canal
🌀 Movements of Water
▼| Term (शब्द) | Cause (कारण) | Movement Type (गति प्रकार) |
|---|---|---|
| Wave (लहर) | Friction between wind and surface water | Oscillatory (up & down) |
| Tide (ज्वार) | Gravitational pull of Moon & Sun | Periodic rise and fall |
| Ocean Current (महासागरीय धारा) | Gravity, wind, and water density | Horizontal flow (river in ocean) |
| Tsunami (सुनामी) | Underwater earthquakes or landslides | Long-wavelength harbor waves |
🌿 River & Land Intersections
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9. Estuary नदीमुख
A partially enclosed coastal body of water where freshwater from rivers mixes with saltwater from the ocean. The water here is "Brackish".
Note: Rivers like Narmada and Tapti in India form estuaries due to steep rift valleys
10. Delta डेल्टा
A fan-shaped or triangular landform created by deposition of sediment (alluvium) carried by a river as the flow leaves its mouth.
Example: Ganga-Brahmaputra Delta (Sunderbans) — world's largest delta
11. Lagoon लैगून
A shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by barrier islands or reefs.
Example: Chilika Lake in Odisha — famous coastal lagoon
12. Meander & Oxbow Lake मिएंडर और गोखुर झील
Meander: Snake-like bends or curves in a river's course during its mature stage.
Oxbow Lake: A U-shaped lake formed when a wide meander is cut off, creating a free-standing body of water.
Oxbow Lake: A U-shaped lake formed when a wide meander is cut off, creating a free-standing body of water.
Oxbow lakes are common in floodplains of mature rivers
