landfeature

A landfeature is a defined element that appears on the land surface. The term covers both natural landforms formed by geological and climatic processes and man-made installations placed on the terrain. Landfeatures are identified in fields such as geography, cartography, geology, and land-use planning, helping describe a region’s shape, resources, and hazards.

Natural landfeatures include elevations like mountains and hills, depressions such as basins and valleys, plains, plateaus, ridges, cliffs, canyons, dunes, and caves. They arise from tectonic activity, volcanism, erosion, sedimentation, and glaciation, and may change over long timescales.

Man-made landfeatures include roads, bridges, walls, terraces, embankments, dams, buildings, parks, and archaeological sites. They can modify drainage, microclimates, and soils, and are often planned for defense, agriculture, transportation, or recreation.

In mapping and analysis, landfeatures are catalogued in geographic information systems and topographic maps. They are described by location, elevation, geology, land cover, and age. Data sources include satellite imagery, aerial photography, and field surveys, supporting environmental assessment, hazard mitigation, and land management.

The term is broad and context-dependent; some disciplines use narrower terms to separate natural landforms from built features.