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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Temperate Grassland PowerPoint
An 11 slide editable PowerPoint to use in the classroom when learning about temperate grasslands.
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Desert PowerPoint
An 11 slide editable PowerPoint to use in the classroom when learning about deserts.
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Coniferous Forest PowerPoint
An 11 slide editable PowerPoint to use in the classroom when learning about coniferous forests.
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Natural and Built Environments - Brainstorming Pages
A sheet that provides your students with a space to write or draw their ideas.
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The New Seven Wonders of the World — Mini-Book
Teach about the new Seven Wonders of the World with this informative mini-book for year 5 and year 6 students.
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National Tree Day Activity Pack
Celebrating National Tree Day with a pack of exciting activities!
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The World's Five Oceans - Teaching Presentation
Explore the world’s five oceans with this comprehensive teaching presentation.
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Built Environments Page Borders
8 built environments themed page borders.
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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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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 Board Game
Explore the continents and oceans of the world with this hands-on Geography board game.
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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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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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Themes of Geography Poster Pack
A pack of six posters to use when learning about geography.
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Geography Flip Book
A flip book to use when learning about geography.
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10 Fascinating Facts Worksheet – The Global Seed Vault
A comprehension worksheet for a magazine article about the global seed vault.
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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.
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Mountain Background
A background for a mountain scene.
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City Background
A background for a city scene.
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City Page Border
A page border with a city theme.
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Beach Background
A background for a beach scene.
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Desert Page Border
A page border with a desert theme.
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Freshwater Ecosystems Poster
A poster explaining Freshwater Ecosystems.
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Tundra PowerPoint
An 11 slide editable PowerPoint to use in the classroom when learning about tundras.
- Free Plan
Natural and Built Environments - Information Sheets
A set of information sheets for selected natural and built environments.
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Built Environments Concept Map
A concept map to use when learning about built environments.
- Geographical Features Worksheets
- Geographical Features Posters
- Geographical Features Teaching Presentations
- Geographical Features Labels, Signs & Decorations
- 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