flood plains
Flat riverside lowlands
A flood plain is the flat land bordering a river that becomes submerged when the river overflows its banks.
These areas are shaped by repeated flooding over time, which deposits nutrient-rich sediment that makes flood plains agriculturally productive.
Despite the obvious risk, flood plains attract development because of their level terrain and proximity to water, creating ongoing tension between land use and flood management.
Also spelled as one word: floodplain.
- bottomlandLow-lying land beside rivers
- deltasSediment formations at waterways' ends
- river deltaAlluvial deposit at mouth
- inundationOverwhelming surge of water
- alluviumWater-deposited loose sediment
alluvial fan · riparian · spring melt · landforms · overbank deposits · sedimentation · basin · mud flats · wetlands · oxbow lakes · rivers · catchment area · banks · tributary · levee · silt · overflow · erosion
- natural landswetlands, woodlands, grasslands, marshes, meadows
- Indian geographyGanges, Himalayas, Indus, subcontinent, Punjab
- Low CountriesNetherlands, Belgium, Holland, Amsterdam, Brussels
- Lowland landscapespolders, dikes, dykes, canals, flatlands
- lowlandslowland, bottomland, flatland, flats, polders
- monsoon regionswet season, dry season, seasonal winds, monsoon, rainfall
flood plainshighlands
Elevated, hilly land areas
plateaus · mountains · uplands · high ground · ridges
flood plainsarid lands
Dry, barren territories
deserts · drylands · badlands · watersheds · rain shadows