Geographical Features Teaching Resources

Teach about geographical features in your HASS classes with printable worksheets, interactive activities, instructional slide decks and more Australian curriculum-aligned and teacher-created resources.

This teaching resource collection includes editable options so you can easily make the edits you need to fit your lesson planning needs. You'll also find resources that have already been differentiated for your students.

Best of all? Each printable and digital resource has been reviewed by the teachers on the Teach Starter team to ensure it's classroom-ready, so you can download and begin using it in the classroom right away.

New to teaching about the planet's different geographical features, or looking for some fresh ideas to explore mountains, lakes and more? The teachers of Teach Starter have put together this handy primer.

What Is a Geographic Feature? A Kid-Friendly Definition

Are you trying to explain geographical features to your students? Here's a simple definition for kids:

A geographical feature is a natural or human-made characteristic of the Earth's surface.

What Are Examples of Geographic Features?

OK, so that's what it is. But what, exactly are we talking about? Let's look at some examples of major geographic features to make the concept of features of geography more concrete for your students!

Examples of Natural Geographic Features for Kids

The physical and environmental characteristics of the Earth's surface that are created by natural processes — such as plate tectonics, erosion, weathering, and volcanic activity — are natural geographical features.

They're important because they shape our entire environment, determining everything from the distribution of plant and animal species to influencing climate patterns, and they provide natural resources for human societies. They also tend to become landmarks and tourist attractions.

Examples of major physical features of our Earth include:

• Mountains (e.g., the Rocky Mountains, the Andes, the Himalayas)
• Rivers (e.g., the Amazon River, the Nile, the Finke River)
• Lakes (e.g., Lake Albina, Lake Victoria, Avoca Lake)
• Oceans (e.g., the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean)
• Deserts (e.g., the Sahara, the Mojave Desert, the Gobi Desert)
• Islands (e.g., Heard Island, Madagascar, the Galapagos Islands)
• Plains (e.g., Bogong High Plains,Esperance Plains, Geraldton Sandplains)
• Valleys (e.g., Hunter Valley, Clare Valley, Jamison Valley)
• Volcanoes (e.g., Mount Fuji, Mount Vesuvius, Mount Schank)
• Caves (e.g., Jenolan Caves, Careys Cave, Wellington Caves)

Examples of Human-Made Geographical Features for Kids

The other major type of feature of geography is the human-made kind. These physical and environmental characteristics of the Earth's surface are created or modified by human activities. These features are usually built to serve a specific purpose, such as transportation or communication.

These features also have cultural and historical significance, and they can be tourist attractions.

Examples of this type of feature include:

• Cities (e.g., Brisbane, Tokyo, Mumbai)
• Roads (e.g., the Great Ocean Road, the Trans-Amazonian Highway)
• Bridges (e.g., the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Tower Bridge)
• Canals (e.g., the Panama Canal, the Suez Canal, the Alexandra Canal)
• Dams (e.g., the Bendora Dam, the Three Gorges Dam, the Aswan High Dam)
• Airports (e.g., Alice Springs Airport, Heathrow Airport, Changi Airport)
• Railroads (e.g., the Trans-Siberian Railway, the Orient Express, the Eurostar)
• Harbours (e.g., Sydney Harbour, the Port of Shanghai, the Port of Singapore)
• Parks (e.g., Purnululu National Park, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Tomaree National Park)