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:

English	Spanish	IPA	Pronunciation
Landforms	Los accidentes geográficos	aksiˈðɛ̃ntes xeoˈɣɾafikos	ac-see-den-tess heh-oh-gra-fee-cos
Water bodies	Las masas de agua	ˈmasas̬ ðe ˈaɣwa	ma-sas deh ah-goo-ah

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!

English	Spanish	IPA	Pronunciation
Archipelago	Un a​​rchipiélago	aɾʧiˈpjelaɣo	ar-chee-pee-eh-la-go
Atoll	Un atolón	atoˈlõn	ah-toe-lon
Ayre	Un ayre	ˈai̯ɾe	ah-e-reh
Natural arch	Un arco natural	ˈaɾko natuˈɾal	ar-co na-too-ral
Barrier island	Una isla barrera	ˈis̬la βaˈrɛɾa	ees-la bah-reh-ra
Bay	Una bahía	βaˈia	bah-eh-ah
Beach	Una playa	ˈplaʝa	plah-ya
Raised beach	Una terraza costera	tɛˈrasa kosˈtɛɾa	teh-rah-za cos-teh-ra
Bight	Un ancón	ãnˈkõn	an-con
Blowhole	Un bufadero	bufaˈðɛɾo	boo-fa-deh-ro
Channel	Un canal natural	kaˈnal natuˈɾal	cah-nal nah-too-ral
Cape	Un cabo	ˈkaβo	cah-bo
Cliff	Un acantilado	akãntiˈlaðo	ah-can-tee-la-doe
Coast	Una costa	ˈkosta	cos-ta
Continental shelf	La plataforma continental	plataˈfoɾma kõntinɛ̃nˈtal	pla-tah-for-ma con-tee-nen-tal
Coral reef	Un arrecife de coral	areˈsife ðe koˈɾal	ah-reh-see-feh deh co-ral
Cove	Una ensenada	ɛ̃nseˈnaða	en-seh-na-da
Dune	Una duna	ˈðuna	doo-na
Estuary	Un estuario	ɛsˈtwaɾjo	es-too-ah-ree-oh
Gulf	Un golfo	ˈɡolfo	gol-fo
Inlet	Un grao	ˈɡɾao	grah-oh
Island	Una isla	ˈis̬la	ees-la
Islet	Un islote	is̬ˈlote	ees-lo-teh
Isthmus	Un istmo	ˈistmo	ees-tmoh
Lagoon	Una laguna	laˈɣuna	lah-goo-na
Mid-ocean ridge	Una dorsal mediooceánica	ðoɾˈsal meðjooseˈanika	dor-sal meh-dee-oh-oh-seh-ah-nee-ca
Oceanic basin	Una cuenca oceánica	ˈkwɛ̃nka oseˈanika	coo-en-cah oh-seh-ah-nee-ca
Oceanic trench	Una fosa oceánica	ˈfosa oseˈanika	foh-sa oh-seh-ah-nee-cah
Peninsula	Una península	peˈnĩnsula	peh-neen-soo-la
River delta	Un delta	ˈdɛlta	del-ta
Salt marsh	Una marisma salina	maˈɾis̬ma saˈlina	mar-is-ma sa-lee-na
Sea cave	Una cueva marina	ˈkweβa maˈɾina	coo-eh-va ma-ree-na
Seamount	Un monte submarino	ˈmõnte suβmaˈɾino	mon-teh soob-ma-ree-no
Shoal	Un banco de arena	ˈbãnko ðe aˈɾena	ban-co deh ah-reh-na
Shore	Una ribera	riˈβɛɾa	ree-beh-ra
Sound	Una sonda	ˈsõnda	son-da
Sandpit	Un cordón litoral	koɾˈðõn litoˈɾal	cor-don lee-toe-ral
Strait	Un estrecho	ɛsˈtɾeʧo	ehs-treh-cho
Strandflat	Un strandflat	sˈtɾãnd	strand-flat
Stack	Un farallón	faɾaˈʝõn	fa-ra-yon
Tidal marsh	Una marisma	maˈɾis̬ma	ma-rees-ma
Tide pool	Una poza de marea	ˈposa ðe maˈɾea	po-za deh ma-reh-ah
Volcanic arc	Un arco volcánico	ˈaɾko βolˈkaniko	ar-co vol-ca-nee-co
Wave-cut platform	Una rasa mareal	ˈrasa maɾeˈal	ra-sa mah-reh-al

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.

English	Spanish	IPA	Pronunciation
Badlands	Las tierras baldías	ˈtjɛras̬ βalˈdias	tee-eh-ras bal-dee-as
Butte	Un butte	ˈbut̚te	boo-teh
Canyon	Un cañón	kaˈɲõn	ca-nyon
Cave	Una cueva	ˈkweβa	coo-eh-va
Cuesta	Una cuesta	ˈkwɛsta	coo-es-tah
Fjord	El fiordo	ˈfjoɾðo	fee-or-do
Gully	Un barranco	baˈrãnko	ba-rahn-co
Mesa	Una mesa	ˈmesa	meh-sa
Potrero	Un potrero	poˈtɾɛɾo	po-treh-ro
Ridge	Una cresta	ˈkɾɛsta	cres-tah
Valley	Un valle	ˈbaʝe	va-yeh

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.

English	Spanish	IPA	Pronunciation
Bayou	Un bayou	baˈʝou̯	bah-you
Bench	Un plano	ˈplano	plah-no
Confluence	Una confluencia fluvial	kõmˈflwɛ̃nsja fluˈβjal	con-floo-ehn-see-ah
Drainage basin	Una cuenca hidrográfica	ˈkwɛ̃nka i̯ðɾoˈɣɾafika	coo-en-ca ee-dro-grah-fee-ca
Floodplain	Un terreno inundable	tɛˈreno i̯nũnˈdaβle	teh-reh-no een-oon-da-bleh
Levee	Un dique	ˈdike	dee-keh
Marsh	Una ciénaga	ˈsjenaɣa	see-eh-neh-gah
Meander	Un meandro	meˈãndɾo	meh-an-dro
Rapids	Un rápido	ˈrapiðo	rah-pee-do
River	Un río	ˈrio	ree-oh
River island	Una isla fluvial	ˈis̬la fluˈβjal	ees-la floo-vee-al
Spring	Un manantial	manãnˈtjal	ma-nan-tee-al
Strait	Un estrecho	ɛsˈtɾeʧo	es-treh-cho
Stream	Un riachuelo	rjaˈʧwelo	ree-ah-choo-eh-lo
Stream pool	Una poza	ˈposa	po-za
Swamp	Un pantano	pãnˈtano	pan-tah-no
Wash	Un arroyo	aˈroʝo	ah-ro-yo
Waterfall	Una cascada	kasˈkaða	cas-ca-da

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.

English	Spanish	IPA	Pronunciation
Crater	Un cráter	ˈkɾatɛɾ	cra-ter
Impact crater	Un cráter de impacto	ˈkɾatɛɾ ðe ĩ̯mˈpak̚to	cra-ter deh eem-pac-toe
Complex crater	Un cráter complejo	ˈkɾatɛɾ kõmˈplexo	cra-tehr com-pleh-ho
Simple crater	Un cráter simple	ˈkɾatɛɾ ˈsĩmple	cra-tehr seem-pleh
Impact crater lake	Un lago de cráter	ˈlaɣo ðe ˈkɾatɛɾ	la-go deh cra-tehr
Central peak crater	Un cráter de pico central	ˈkɾatɛɾ ðe ˈpiko sɛ̃nˈtɾal	cra-tehr deh pee-co sen-tral

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!

English	Spanish	IPA	Pronunciation
Crevasse	Una crevasse	kɾeˈβasse	creh-vas
Cirque	Un glaciar de circo	ɡlaˈsjaɾ ðe ˈsiɾko	gla-see-are deh seer-co
Glacier	Un glaciar	ɡlaˈsjaɾ	glah-see-are
Glacier cave	Una cueva glaciar	ˈkweβa ɣlaˈsjaɾ	coo-eh-va glah-see-are
Highland	Un altiplano	altip̚ˈlano	al-tee-plah-no
Hill	Un cerro	ˈsɛro	seh-ro
Inselberg	Un monte isla	ˈmõnte ˈis̬la	mon-teh ees-la
Moulin	Un molino glaciar	moˈlino ɣlaˈsjaɾ	mo-lee-no glah-see-are
Mountain	Una montaña	mõnˈtaɲa	mon-tah-nyah
Mountain pass	Un paso de montaña	ˈpaso ðe mõnˈtaɲa	pah-so deh mon-tah-nyah
Nunatak	Un nunatak	nunaˈtak	noon-ah-tack
Pyramidal peak	Un pico piramidal	ˈpiko piɾamiˈðal	pee-co pee-ra-me-dal
Summit	Una cima	ˈsima	see-ma

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.

English	Spanish	IPA	Pronunciation
Caldera	Una caldera volcánica	kalˈdɛɾa βolˈkanika	cal-deh-ra vol-cah-nee-ca
Cinder cone	Un cono de escoria	ˈkono ðɛ ɛsˈkoɾja	co-no deh es-coh-ree-ah
Complex volcano	Un volcán complejo	bolˈkãn kõmˈplexo	vol-can com-pleh-ho
Lava	La lava	ˈlaβa	la-va
Lava dome	Un domo de lava	ˈdomo ðe ˈlaβa	doh-mo deh la-va
Volcano	Un volcán	bolˈkãn	vol-can
Cryovolcano	Un criovolcán	kɾjoβolˈkãn	cree-oh-vol-can
Diatreme	Un diatrema	djaˈtɾema	dee-ah-teh-ma
Dike	Un dique	ˈdike	dee-keh
Fissure vent	Una fisura volcánica	fiˈsuɾa βolˈkanika	fee-soo-ra vol-cah-nee-ca
Guyot	Un guyot	ɡuˈʝot	goo-yot
Hornito	Un hornito volcánico	oɾˈnito βolˈkaniko	or-nee-toe vol-cah-nee-coh
Kīpuka	Un kipuka	kiˈpuka	kee-poo-kah
Lava Lake	Un lago de lava	ˈlaɣo ðe ˈlaβa	la-go deh la-va
Lava tube	Un tubo de lava	ˈtuβo ðe ˈlaβa	too-bo deh la-va
Maar	Un maar	maˈaɾ	mar
Pit crater	Un cráter de subsidencia	ˈkɾatɛɾ ðe suβsiˈðɛ̃nsja	crah-ter deh soob-see-dee-ehn-see-ah
Resurgent dome	Un domo resurgente	ˈdomo resuɾˈxɛ̃nte	doh-mo reh-soor-hen-teh
Shield volcano	Un volcán en escudo	bolˈkan ɛn ɛsˈkuðo	vol-can ehn es-coo-doe
Stratovolcano	Un estratovolcán	ɛstɾatoβolˈkãn	es-tra-toe vol-cahn
Somma volcano	Un volcán somma	bolˈkãn ˈsõmma	vol-cahn soh-ma
Volcanic cone	Un cono volcánico	ˈkono βolˈkaniko	coe-no vol-cahn-e-co
Submarine volcano	Un volcán submarino	bolˈkãn suβmaˈɾino	vol-cahn soob-ma-ree-no
Supervolcano	Un supervolcán	supɛɾβolˈkãn	soo-per-vol-cahn
Volcanic crater	Un cráter volcánico	ˈkɾatɛɾ βolˈkaniko	cra-ter vol-ca-nee-co
Volcanic field	Un campo volcánico	ˈkãmpo βolˈkaniko	cam-po vol-cah-nee-coe
High island	Una isla volcánica	ˈis̬la βolˈkanika	ees-la vol-ca-nee-cah
Volcanic plug	Un tapón volcánico	taˈpõm bolˈkaniko	ta-pon vol-ca-nee-co

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.

English	Spanish	IPA	Pronunciation
Bog	Una turbera	tuɾˈβɛɾa	toor-beh-ra
Canal	Un canal	kaˈnal	ca-nal
Dam	Una presa	ˈpɾesa	preh-sa
Depresion	Una depresión	ðepɾeˈsjõn	deh-preh-see-on
Harbor	Un puerto	ˈpwɛɾto	poo-air-toe
Hot spring	Unas aguas termales	ˈaɣwas tɛɾˈmales	ah-goo-as ter-ma-les
Lake	Un lago	ˈlaɣo	la-go
Lagoon	Una laguna	laˈɣuna	la-goo-nah
Mangrove	Un manglar	mãnˈɡlaɾ	man-glar
Ocean	Un océano	oˈseano	oh-seh-ah-no
Pond	Un estanque	ɛsˈtãnke	es-tan-keh
Puddle	Un charco	ˈʧaɾko	char-co
Reservoir	Un embalse	ɛ̃mˈbalse	em-bal-seh
Sea	Un mar	ˈmaɾ	mar
Sinkhole	Un cenote	seˈnote	seh-noh-teh
Wetlands	Un humedal	umeˈðal	ooh-meh-dal

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?

English	Spanish	IPA	Pronunciation	Meaning
To cry a sea of tears.	Llorar un mar de lágrimas.	ɟʝoˈɾaɾ ũm ˈmaɾ ðe ˈlaɣɾimas	yo-rar oon mar deh la-gree-mas	To cry a river.
Faith can move mountains.	La fé puede mover montañas.	la ˈfe ˈpweðe moˈβɛɾ mõnˈtaɲas	la feh poo-eh-deh mo-ver mon-ta-nyas	Faith is so strong it could move mountains.
If the mountain won’t come to Mahoma, then Mahoma will go to the mountain.	Si la montaña no va a Mahoma, Mahoma va a la montaña.	si la mõnˈtaɲa ˈno ˈβa a maˈoma | maˈoma ˈβa a la mõnˈtaɲa	see la mon-tah-nyah no va ah ma-oh-ma ma-oh-ma va ah la mon-tah-nyah	If you’ve been waiting for someone who hasn’t come, it’s best to go out and look for them instead.
If the river makes noise, it means it’s carrying water.	Si el río suena, es que agua lleva.	sj ɛl ˈrio ˈswena | ˈɛs ˈke ˈaɣwa ˈʝeβa	see elle ree-oh soo-eh-na es keh ah-goo-ah yeh-va	Where there's smoke, there’s a fire.
Treat the mountain like your girlfriend: trust her, but don’t trust her.	A la montaña, como a la novia, con confianza, pero sin confianzas.	a la mõnˈtaɲa | ˈkomo a la ˈnoβja | kõn kõmˈfjãnsa | ˈpɛɾo sĩn kõmˈfjãnsas	ah la mon-tah-nyah co-mo ah la no-vee-ah con con-fee-ahn-za peh-ro seen con-fee-ahn-za	You have to always be careful when hiking on a mountain.
There is no sea man who couldn’t drown.	No existe hombre de mar que no se pueda ahogar.	ˈno ɛkˈsiste ˈõmbɾe ðe ˈmaɾ ˈke ˈno se ˈpweða aoˈɣaɾ	no ex-ees-teh om-breh deh mar keh no seh poo-eh-da ah-oh-gar	Even the most experienced sea men could drown.
Who sows wind reaps tempests.	Quien siembra vientos, recoge tempestades.	ˈkjɛ̃n ˈsjɛ̃mbɾa ˈβjɛ̃ntos | reˈkoxe tɛ̃mpɛsˈtaðes	key-ehn see-em-bra vee-ehn-tos, reh-co-heh tem-pes-ta-dess	You reap what you sow.

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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