Geography words aren’t just for maps—they’re for real conversations. Traveling, describing landscapes, talking about your hometown, explaining weather, planning trips… all of that runs on geography vocabulary. By the end of this guide, you’ll know the essential landforms, bodies of water, climate words, and natural features in Spanish with IPA, plus how to use them naturally in sentences and dialogues.
Think of this as your Spanish survival kit for everything outdoors—minus sunscreen and bug spray.
Quick Primer
Before we trek through the mountains and valleys of vocabulary, keep these three patterns in mind:
- Many geography terms use the article el (masculine), but there are plenty of la words too; always memorize words with their article.
- Spanish geography words often resemble English cognates: montaña, volcán, océano, clima.
- When describing location, Spanish frequently uses estar, hay, al lado de, cerca de, en, and entre.
Get these basics and you’re ready to explore the linguistic terrain.
Core Landforms (Formas del Terreno)
Spanish | IPA | English
la montaña | /la monˈta.ɲa/ | mountain
el monte | /el ˈmon.te/ | mountain/hill (often forested)
la colina | /la koˈli.na/ | hill
el valle | /el ˈba.ʝe/ | valley
la meseta | /la meˈse.ta/ | plateau
el volcán | /el bolˈkan/ | volcano
el cañón | /el kaˈɲon/ | canyon
la llanura | /la ʝaˈnu.ɾa/ | plain
el desierto | /el deˈsjɛɾ.to/ | desert
el bosque | /el ˈbos.ke/ | forest
la selva | /la ˈsel.βa/ | jungle/rainforest
Usage examples:
En Perú hay muchas montañas altas.
/en peˈɾu aj ˈmu.tʃas monˈta.ɲas ˈal.tas/
In Peru there are many tall mountains.
El valle es muy verde en primavera.
/el ˈba.ʝe es muj ˈβeɾ.ðe en pɾi.maˈβe.ɾa/
The valley is very green in spring.
Bodies of Water (Cuerpos de Agua)
Spanish | IPA | English
el río | /el ˈri.o/ | river
el lago | /el ˈla.ɣo/ | lake
el mar | /el maɾ/ | sea
el océano | /el oˈse.a.no/ | ocean
la playa | /la ˈpla.ʝa/ | beach
la costa | /la ˈkos.ta/ | coast
la bahía | /la baˈi.a/ | bay
la cascada / la catarata | /la kasˈka.ða, la kataˈɾa.ta/ | waterfall
el arroyo | /el aˈro.ʝo/ | stream, creek
la isla | /la ˈis.la/ | island
Examples:
El río es muy largo y pasa por la ciudad.
/el ˈri.o es muj ˈlaɾ.go i ˈpa.sa poɾ la sjuˈðað/
The river is very long and passes through the city.
La playa de esta zona es muy tranquila.
/la ˈpla.ʝa ðe ˈes.ta ˈso.na es muj tɾaŋˈki.la/
The beach in this area is very calm.
Climate & Environment (Clima y Medio Ambiente)
Spanish | IPA | English
el clima | /el ˈkli.ma/ | climate
la temperatura | /la tem.pe.ɾaˈtu.ɾa/ | temperature
el tiempo | /el ˈtjɛm.po/ | weather (informal)
la humedad | /la u.meˈðað/ | humidity
la lluvia | /la ˈʝu.βja/ | rain
la nieve | /la ˈnje.βe/ | snow
el viento | /el ˈbjen.to/ | wind
la tormenta | /la toɾˈmen.ta/ | storm
el huracán | /el u.ɾaˈkan/ | hurricane
la sequía | /la seˈki.a/ | drought
Examples:
El clima es muy seco en esa región.
/el ˈkli.ma es muj ˈse.ko en ˈe.sa reˈxjon/
The climate is very dry in that region.
Hay mucha humedad en verano.
/aj ˈmu.tʃa u.meˈðað en beˈɾa.no/
There is a lot of humidity in summer.
Geographic Features & Natural Formations
Spanish | IPA | English
la península | /la peˈnin.su.la/ | peninsula
el golfo | /el ˈgol.fo/ | gulf
el archipiélago | /el aɾ.tʃiˈpje.la.ɣo/ | archipelago
el estrecho | /el esˈtɾe.tʃo/ | strait
la cordillera | /la koɾ.ðiˈʝe.ɾa/ | mountain range
la cueva | /la ˈkwe.βa/ | cave
la roca | /la ˈro.ka/ | rock
el acantilado | /el a.kan.tiˈla.ðo/ | cliff
la duna | /la ˈdu.na/ | dune
el glaciar | /el ɡlaˈsjaɾ/ | glacier
Example:
La cordillera de los Andes es muy larga.
/la koɾ.ðiˈʝe.ɾa ðe los ˈan.des es muj ˈlaɾ.ɣa/
The Andes mountain range is very long.
Human Geography Essentials
Spanish | IPA | English
la ciudad | /la sjuˈðað/ | city
el pueblo | /el ˈpwe.βlo/ | town
la aldea | /la alˈde.a/ | village
la región | /la reˈxjon/ | region
el país | /el paˈis/ | country
el continente | /el kon.ti.nenˈte/ | continent
la frontera | /la fɾonˈte.ɾa/ | border
la capital | /la ka.piˈtal/ | capital city
Example:
La frontera entre los dos países es muy larga.
/la fɾonˈte.ɾa ˈen.tɾe los dos paˈi.ses es muj ˈlaɾ.ɣa/
The border between the two countries is very long.
Descriptions (Location + Landforms)
Here’s how Spanish speakers describe geography naturally:
Hay + landform
Hay un lago cerca del pueblo.
/aj un ˈla.ɣo ˈseɾ.ka ðel ˈpwe.βlo/
There is a lake near the town.
Está/Están + location
La isla está al sur del país.
/la ˈis.la esˈta al suɾ ðel paˈis/
The island is south of the country.
Entre / Cerca de / Lejos de
El volcán está cerca de la ciudad.
/el bolˈkan esˈta ˈseɾ.ka ðe la sjuˈðað/
The volcano is close to the city.
Usage Notes & Common Mistakes
Learners often misstep here:
- Many words beginning with des- (desierto, “desert”) keep their stress on the second syllable.
- Don’t confuse mar (sea) with marzo (March).
- Selva means rainforest/jungle—not “forest” (bosque).
- Playa means “beach,” not “playa” meaning “flat land” in English.
- Use hay only for existence, estar for location:
- Hay un lago = a lake exists
- El lago está aquí = the lake is here
- Hay un lago = a lake exists
Region Notes
Spain:
Montaña, río, playa, and costa are extremely common in everyday conversation due to varied geography. Coastal vocabulary is especially frequent in summer.
Mexico:
Expect rich vocabulary around deserts, mountains, and volcanoes: desierto, volcán, sierra, cordillera.
Caribbean:
Lots of seaside terms: playa, bahía, costa, arrecife (reef).
Southern Cone:
Common references to glaciares, lagos, and cordilleras (especially in Chile and Argentina).
Mini Dialogues
Dialogue 1: Asking About Geography
¿Cómo es la región?
/ˈko.mo es la reˈxjon/
What is the region like?
Es muy montañosa y tiene un río grande.
/es muj mon.taˈɲo.sa i ˈtje.ne un ˈri.o ˈɡɾan.de/
It’s very mountainous and has a large river.
Dialogue 2: Talking About Travel
¿Hay playas cerca?
/aj ˈpla.ʝas ˈseɾ.ka/
Are there beaches nearby?
Sí, la costa está a quince minutos.
/si la ˈkos.ta esˈta a ˈkin.se miˈnu.tos/
Yes, the coast is fifteen minutes away.
Dialogue 3: Describing Nature
¿Te gusta la selva?
/te ˈɣus.ta la ˈsel.βa/
Do you like the jungle?
Sí, pero prefiero el bosque.
/si ˈpe.ɾo pɾeˈfje.ɾo el ˈbos.ke/
Yes, but I prefer the forest.
Quick Reference (Screenshot-Friendly)
Spanish | IPA | English
la montaña | /la monˈta.ɲa/ | mountain
el valle | /el ˈba.ʝe/ | valley
el desierto | /el deˈsjɛɾ.to/ | desert
el río | /el ˈri.o/ | river
el lago | /el ˈla.ɣo/ | lake
el mar | /el maɾ/ | sea
la playa | /la ˈpla.ʝa/ | beach
la selva | /la ˈsel.βa/ | jungle
el volcán | /el bolˈkan/ | volcano
la isla | /la ˈis.la/ | island
Five-Minute Practice Plan
- Say 10 geography terms aloud—alternate between land and water.
- Describe your hometown using at least three landforms.
- Build five sentences using hay vs. está correctly.
- Shadow Dialogue 1 focusing on montañosa and río grande.
- Write three imaginary travel descriptions: one desert, one mountain, one beach region.
- Record a 20-second description of “your dream landscape” using at least five vocabulary words.
Yak-Style Closing Spark
With geography vocabulary in your toolkit, you can describe places vividly—whether you’re talking about a rainforest adventure or the “mountain” near your house that’s really just a slightly ambitious hill. Keep practicing, and soon your Spanish landscapes will feel as alive as the real ones.