137 lovely landforms in Spanish from beaches to islands & bights

Explore the world with our guide of 137 geographic landforms in Spanish.

If you love nature or simply enjoy a good hike, you’ll surely want to know how to say landforms in Spanish. From mountains to the sea, this guide will take you on a journey through all the most common (and even some you may not be familiar with!) land formations so you can talk about the world like a true cartographer.

Knowing landform vocabulary in Spanish will be incredibly helpful even if you’re not an outdoorsy person. You’ll be able to talk about anything from valleys to volcanoes, helping you describe places and events much more accurately.

Plus, there are plenty of popular idioms and phrases in Spanish that involve landforms, so you’ll be that much closer to understanding all the Spanish idioms!

Read on to learn how to say over 130 different landforms and geography in Spanish.

How do you say “landforms” and “water bodies” in Spanish

The first thing you’ll want to know is how to say “landforms” and “water bodies” in Spanish. While the translation for “water bodies” is pretty straightforward, you may find the translation for landforms pretty amusing: los accidentes geográficos. While this may sound a bit strange, the “accidents” part refers to how they were formed inadvertently by the elements! Let’s take a closer look:

The most common landforms and bodies of water in Spanish

Unless you’re a geographer, you probably haven’t heard of all the landforms and bodies of water in this article. After all, we’ve included over 130 different geographic terms, so you know exactly how to talk about landforms. So, if you’re dying to explore the world, keep reading to learn more about land and water geography in Spanish!

Coastal and oceanic landforms in Spanish

It’s hard not to picture a beautiful beach when you think of Spanish-speaking countries like Spain, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. However, there are many different types of coastal and oceanic geography, so you can go beyond knowing only how to say beach in Spanish. Get ready to learn to make your vocabulary even more descriptive!

Erosion landforms in Spanish

Erosion landforms are those that were formed by “wear and tear” on the earth, usually by air or water. These are some of the most important landform types to learn, as erosion landforms include major formations like canyons, valleys, and caves.

Fluvial landforms

Fluvial landforms are those formed by running water. After reviewing the following table, you will be able to say river in Spanish as well as stream, rapids, and other helpful formations made by water.

Impact landforms in Spanish

Impact landforms are some of the most exciting types of landforms as they all share one thing in common: they were formed by aliens. Well, not actual aliens, but extraterrestrials. Extraterrestrial matter, if you will.

Mountains and glacial landforms in Spanish

If you love a good hike, then you’re undoubtedly looking forward to learning how to say different types of mountains in Spanish. You’ll also want to explore the stunning glaciers in the Southern Cone, as the national parks in Patagonia will surely leave you breathless!

Volcanic landforms in Spanish

You may think of Hawai’i and its stunning fruits when you think of volcanic landforms, but did you know that most of Latin America is a highly volcanic region? In fact, Chile is the country with the most geological activity in the world, second only to Indonesia. With over 2,000 volcanoes in Chile alone, you’ll surely find some volcanic vocabulary in Spanish very helpful.

Bodies of water in Spanish

Last but not least, we have bodies of water. With so many fun activities to do on a lake, ocean, or even hot spring, you surely already have a favorite body of water that you’re dying to learn! Here are some of the most common bodies of water in Spanish for you.

Phrases or idioms that contain landforms in Spanish

If you’ve been studying Spanish for a while, you probably already know that Spanish speakers love using idioms and phrases in everyday speech. If you’ve just mastered well over a hundred various types of land and water geography words, why not learn a few idioms that include some of your shiny new vocab?

Continue working on your Spanish like erosion on a valley

You know what they say, “In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect.” Even if the Spanish translation for landforms suggests that they’re accidents, who could say that the stunning mountains of Chile, the forceful rapids of Costa Rica, or the serene cenotes of Mexico are anything but perfect?

Think of nature anytime you worry about your Spanish not being perfect. Imperfection isn’t a sign of failure but rather a sign of time and effort. So, don’t let your imperfections in Spanish keep you from practicing. Just keep going at it, and—much like the wind eroding away at a valley–you’ll notice drastic changes after repeated efforts.

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