Article No.27 

Different terms related to topography of oceanic planes

By Engr. Khawaja Ali

Bank
A raised area of land along the side of a river

Basin
A large area of land whose surface water all flows into a particular river or lake

Bay
An area of the coast where the land curves inwards

Beach
An area of sand or small stones beside the sea or a lake

Bight
A long curved part of the coast or a large river

Bund
A raised area of land around a rice field or a reservoir that is designed to keep water in

Cape
A large area of land that continues further out into the sea than the land it is part of.

Catchment area
The area of land around a river or lake that it gets its water from

Coast
An area of land beside a sea

Coastline
The land along a coast, especially when seen from the sea or the air

Delta
An area where a river divides into several smaller rivers that flow into the sea

Dockside
The area next to a dock

Dune
A hill of sand on a beach or in a desert

Flats
A low flat area of land, usually wet land near a large area of water

Flood plain
A flat area of land near a river that often floods when the water level rises

Foreshore
A narrow area of land beside a sea, a lake, or a wide river, between the water and where trees or houses begin

Ghat
In India, the steps leading down to a river or lake where people wash themselves

Headland
A narrow piece of land that sticks out into the sea

Heritage coast
A part of a coast that is considered to be of special value, either because it is very beautiful or for environmental reasons, and that cannot therefore be built on

Isthmus
A narrow piece of land that joins two larger areas and has water on both sides

Lakeside
The land that surrounds a lake

Mudflats
Areas of wet land that are covered by the sea at high tide (=when it is at its highest level)

Peninsula
A long piece of land that is mostly surrounded by water, but is joined at one end to a larger area of land

Point
A piece of land that stretches out into an area of water

Promenade
A place to walk, usually next to a beach

Promontory
A narrow piece of land that sticks out into the sea

Quayside
The area around a quay or at the edge of it

Sand Bank
An area of sand that is formed in or at the edge of a river or sea

Sand dune
A hill of sand that is formed by the wind in a desert or near a beach

Shore
The land that is on the edge of a lake, river, or sea

 Shoreline
The edge of a sea, lake, or large river
Spit
A long narrow area of land that stretches out into the sea or a lake

Strand
A beach or area at the edge of a sea, lake, or river

Water meadow
A field next to a river that fills with water when the river floods

Engr. Khawaja Ali
Masters Student
Structural Engineering Laboratory
Yokohama National University, Japan

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