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)
- Free Plan
Natural vs. Man-Made Features - Sorting Activity
A sorting activity to help students identify the natural and human features of environments.
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Great Barrier Reef Comprehension and Note Taking Worksheet
Learn about The Great Barrier Reef with a reading comprehension and note-taking activity.
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World Map with Countries - Black and White
Teach your students about the continents and countries of the world with this black-and-white world map.
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World Vegetation Zones - Mapping Template
Locate and explore different vegetation zones around the world with this mapping worksheet.
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The Natural Environment of Australia PowerPoint
A 23 slide editable PowerPoint template to use when introducing students to the climate, vegetation and animals of Australia.
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Year 6 Reading Fluency Passages
Assess student fluency with a printable pack of reading fluency passages for Year 6.
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Labelling the Continents and Oceans Worksheets
Turn Geography into a fun and educational learning experience with our cut-and-paste worksheets!
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Australian Landform Map
A map of Australia showing the major landforms.
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Map of the World's Climate Zones
Display this climate zone map in your classroom while teaching about the 6 climate types.
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Climate Zones of the World – Poster Pack
Learn about different climate types with this set of 6 printable posters.
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10 Fascinating Facts About Beaches – Comprehension Worksheet
A comprehension worksheet for a magazine article about beaches.
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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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Famous Landmarks - STEM Challenge Cards
A set of 8 famous landmarks STEM challenge cards encouraging students to build famous structures.
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Time Zones World Map
A poster to display in the classroom to show the different time zones of the world.
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Geographic Landforms Features Poster and Worksheet
Add this poster of different types of geographic features of Earth to your classroom walls to provide a visual reference for students.
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Ecosystem Poster Pack
Introduce your students to the different types of ecosystems with a set of printable Ecosystem posters.
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Amazon Rainforest Facts - Reading Passage
Read and learn about conservation with a reading passage and comprehension worksheet on the Amazon Rainforest.
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Comprehension - The Great Wall of China
A comprehension activity about The Great Wall of China.
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What is a Rainforest? Poster
A poster with information about the plant life, climate and annual rainfall that characterise a rainforest environment.
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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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Ocean Food Chain - Cut and Paste Worksheet
Create an ocean food chain to show how energy flows between organisms with this cut-and-paste worksheet.
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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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Our Natural and Built Environments - Poster Pack
Poster with definitions and examples of natural and built environments.
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World Mapping Features – Teaching Presentation
Explore the key map features of world maps with this 18-slide PowerPoint presentation.
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Natural Resources Word Search
Review the different natural resources with a word search.
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Continents and Oceans - Interactive Peg Cards
Turn world geography into a digital learning experience with this interactive activity.
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Continents and Oceans Bingo
Turn Geography into a fun and educational learning experience by using our Continents and Oceans Bingo Game!
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Extreme Environments: Lands of Ice and Sand – Worksheet
A comprehension worksheet for an information report from the Year 4 magazine (Issue 3).
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Rainforest Layers - Poster
A poster that explains the layers of a rainforest.
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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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The Natural Environment of Africa PowerPoint
A 17 slide editable PowerPoint template to use when introducing students to the climate, vegetation and animals of Africa.
- Geographical Features Worksheets
- Geographical Features Posters
- Geographical Features Teaching Presentations
- 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