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)
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Built Environments Page Borders
8 built environments themed page borders.
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Continents and Oceans - Cover It! Game
Locate the continents and oceans of the world on a map with this engaging, hands-on Geography game.
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Continents and Oceans - Roll and Colour Game
Learn to identify the continents and oceans of the world with an engaging partner game.
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Acclimatised Civilisations – Inquiry Project
Research a civilisation and how it adapted to its environment and landscape through a student-led inquiry task.
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Continents and Oceans Task Cards
Practise identifying and describing the 7 continents and 5 oceans with a set of task cards.
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10 Fascinating Facts About Burano – Worksheet
A comprehension worksheet for an article from the Year 3 magazine (Issue 3).
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Natural, Managed, and Constructed Environments PowerPoint
A 17-slide teaching presentation to use when exploring some of the features of environments.
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The Natural Environment of Africa - Inquiry Task
An inquiry task focusing on the natural environment of the grasslands of Africa.
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The Continent of Australia PowerPoint
A 20 slide editable PowerPoint template to use when introducing students to the geographical features of Australia.
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The Natural Environment of South America PowerPoint
A 17 slide editable PowerPoint template to use when introducing students to the climate, vegetation and animals of South America.
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States and Territories of Australia Posters
8 beautifully illustrated posters outlining key information about Australia's states and territories.
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Exploring Environments and Places - Geography Word Wall Vocabulary
77 environments and places vocabulary cards.
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Tundra PowerPoint
An 11 slide editable PowerPoint to use in the classroom when learning about tundras.
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6 Australian National Parks Posters
A set of six posters with information about Australian National Parks, including how to care for them.
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Seven US Landmarks Posters
A set of 7 posters highlighting some of the United States most famous Landmarks.
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The World's Oceans - Comprehension Worksheet
Explore the world’s five oceans with this detailed comprehension passage and related questions.
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Natural and Built Environments - Display Elements
Build a Natural vs. Manmade Environment bulletin board with a set of decorative elements.
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Our Natural and Built Environments - Poster Pack
Poster with definitions and examples of natural and built environments.
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Ocean-Themed Flashcards and Writing Prompts
Build vocabulary and writing skills with this ocean-themed writing activity.
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National Tree Day – The Green Bridge – A Science Investigation
A science investigation embedded in a real-world context, where students design a habitat to meet the needs of specific animals.
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10 Fascinating Facts About the Sydney Harbour Bridge – Comprehension Worksheet
A comprehension worksheet for an article including ten facts about the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia.
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10 Fascinating Facts About Mount Fuji – Worksheet
A comprehension worksheet for an article from the Year 6 magazine (Issue 3).
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10 Fascinating Facts About the Nile River – Worksheet
A comprehension worksheet for an article from the Year 5 magazine (Issue 3).
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10 Fascinating Facts About the Golden Gate Bridge – Worksheet
A comprehension worksheet for an article from the Year 4 magazine (Issue 3).
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10 Fascinating Facts About Mauna Kea – Comprehension Worksheet
A comprehension worksheet for an article about ten facts about Mauna Kea in Hawaii.
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The Natural Environment of South America — Inquiry Task
An inquiry task focusing on the natural environment of the Amazon rainforest in South America.
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Spaces and Places – Word Wall Vocabulary
30 spaces and places word wall vocabulary cards.
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Mining Word Wall Vocabulary
Sixty-seven mining related vocabulary cards for a word wall.
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Silk Road Word Wall
A set of vocabulary cards for a silk road word wall.
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Five UK Landmarks Posters
A set of 5 posters highlighting some of the UK's most famous Landmarks.
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Australian Bush Background
A background for an Australian bush scene.
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Mountain Page Border
A page border with a mountain theme.
- Geographical Features Worksheets
- Geographical Features Teaching Presentations
- Geographical Features Posters
- Geographical Features for Foundation Year
- Geographical Features for Year 1
- Geographical Features for Year 2
- Geographical Features for Year 3
- Geographical Features for Year 4
- Geographical Features for Year 5
- Geographical Features for Year 6
- Geographical Features for Year 7