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Physical features of the earth's surface

Short answer

Major landforms include continents and ocean basins, fold and block mountains, plateaus, plains, valleys, hills, deserts, glaciers, and deltas. Ocean-floor features comprise continental shelves, abyssal plains, mid-ocean ridges, and deep trenches. Nepal exhibits the Terai plain, Siwalik hills, Mahabharat range, mid-hills, and the Himalaya.

Mention the physical features (major landforms) of the earth's surface.

The Earth's surface shows large-scale relief features, called landforms.

Major physical features

  1. Continents and ocean basins: the two first-order features. Continents cover 29% of the surface and oceans 71%.
  2. Mountains: high, steep land of great relief.
    • Fold mountains (Himalaya, Alps, Andes).
    • Block (fault) mountains (Black Forest).
    • Volcanic mountains (Mount Fuji).
    • Residual mountains (Aravalli).
  3. Plateaus: broad, high, flat-topped land (Tibetan Plateau, Deccan Plateau).
  4. Plains: wide, low, flat land (Gangetic plain, Terai).
  5. Valleys: low land between hills, cut by rivers (V-shaped) or glaciers (U-shaped).
  6. Hills: small, rounded elevations lower than mountains.
  7. Deserts, glaciers and river deltas.

Ocean-floor features

  • Continental shelf and slope.
  • Abyssal plains.
  • Mid-ocean ridges.
  • Deep ocean trenches (Mariana Trench).

Features of Nepal: Terai plain, Siwalik (Churia) hills, Mahabharat range, mid-hills valleys and the Himalaya.

✓ Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort)

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