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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Rainforest Layers - Poster
A poster that explains the layers of a rainforest.
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Natural Disaster Posters
Posters with pictures for eight different types of natural disasters.
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City Background
A background for a city scene.
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Natural Environments - PowerPoint
A Natural Environments themed PowerPoint to add some colour and design to your classroom PowerPoint presentations.
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Australian Habitats Word Wall Vocabulary
A set of Australian habitats related vocabulary word wall cards.
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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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Famous Landmarks - STEM Challenge Cards
A set of 8 famous landmarks STEM challenge cards encouraging students to build famous structures.
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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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Built Environments Concept Map
A concept map to use when learning about built environments.
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The Continent of South America - Mini-Book
Explore the wonders and delights of the continent of South America with this informative printable mini-book.
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The Continent of Antarctica - Mini-Book
Explore the wonders and delights of the continent of Antarctica with this informative printable mini-book.
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Built Environments Page Borders
8 built environments themed page borders.
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Continents and Oceans - SCOOT! Task Cards
Learn to locate and identify the continents and oceans on Earth with a game of SCOOT!
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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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Ocean-Themed Flashcards and Writing Prompts
Build vocabulary and writing skills with this ocean-themed writing activity.
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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 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 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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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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Australian Bush Page Border
A page border with an Australian bush theme.
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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 Page Border
A page border with a city theme.
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Desert Background
A background for a desert scene.
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Desert Page Border
A page border with a desert theme.
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Landform Word Wall Vocabulary
Show your students examples of different landforms with a set of printable Landform word and picture cards.
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Wetland Word Wall Vocabulary
A set of wetland related vocabulary word wall cards.
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Develop a Habitat - Garden Project
A project-based assessment task for students to demonstrate their understanding of how habitats can be preserved and protected in and around where people live.
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Antarctic Wildlife Poster
A poster highlighting some of the main wildlife in Antarctica.
- Geographical Features Worksheets
- Geographical Features Posters
- Geographical Features Teaching Presentations
- Geographical Features Classroom Organisation
- Geographical Features for For Foundation Year
- Geographical Features for For Year 1
- Geographical Features for For Year 2
- Geographical Features for For Year 3
- Geographical Features for For Year 4
- Geographical Features for For Year 5
- Geographical Features for For Year 6
- Geographical Features for For Year 7