Page 333 - New Medley 5 Semester 1

In the upper course, the typical features are rapids, waterfalls or canyons.

The river flows swiftly, but has less water. The middle course begins
when the river enters the plains. In this stage, the speed of the water

decreases and the river develops loops, which are called meanders. In the
lower course, the river flows slowly and most of the rivers form deltas

before joining the sea.

AT ONE GO

 The endpoints of the axis can be used as starting points on the Earth or on the globe.
 The main types of landforms on the Earth’s surface are mountains, plateaus, plains, deserts, river
valleys, etc.
 The mountains are the elevated parts and they have steep slopes, sharp ridges and high peaks.
 The rivers originating from snow-covered mountains provide water almost throughout the year.

 A plateau rises suddenly from the surrounding areas, but has a flat top.
 Most of the plateaus are very large in size and spread over hundreds of kilometres.

 The rivers can cut rocks in the mountains and thus can make a valley for themselves.

REMEMBER THESE TERMS

Mountains : Large land area that rises to great heights from the surrounding areas.
Plateaus : Land area that rises suddenly from the surrounding areas and has a flat top.
Plain : Low-lying flat land with gentle slope.
Canyon : Very deep valley with steep sided walls.
Rapid : Part of a river where water flows very fast over rocks.

Check Your Study

A. Tick () the correct answers.

1. The average minimum height of a mountain should be about
(a) 500 metres (b) 800 metres (c) 900 metres

2. Which of the following is not a mountain range?

(a) Rockies (b) Mt Everest (c) Andes

3. Which of the following is a plateau?

(a) Alps (b) Tibet (c) Andes

4. What is the main agent for the formation of plains?

(a) river (b) weathering (c) earthquake

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