Editing Terrain (section)

{{short description|Dimension and shape of land surfaces}}
{{Other|Terrain (disambiguation)}}
{{Distinguish|Terrane}}
{{More citations needed|date=July 2012}}
[[File:AYool topography 15min.png|thumb|Present-day  [[altimetry]] and [[bathymetry]]. Data from the [[National Geophysical Data Center]]'s [https://web.archive.org/web/19990224061554/http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/seg/fliers/se-1104.shtml TerrainBase Digital Terrain Model].]]
[[File:Maps-for-free Sierra Nevada.png|thumb|Relief map of [[Sierra Nevada (Spain)|Sierra Nevada]], Spain]]
[[File:Alpine Fault SRTM (vertical).jpg|upright|thumb|A shaded and colored image (i.e. terrain is enhanced) of varied terrain from the [[Shuttle Radar Topography Mission]]. This shows an [[topology|elevation model]] of New Zealand's [[Alpine Fault]], running about {{cvt|500|km|mi}} long. The [[escarpment]] is flanked by a vast chain of hills between the [[fault (geology)|fault]] and the [[mountain]]s of the [[Southern Alps]]. Northeast is towards the top.]]

'''Terrain''' ({{etymology|la|{{wikt-lang|la|terra}}|earth}}), alternatively '''relief''' or '''topographical relief''', is the [[dimension]] and shape of a given surface of [[land]]. In [[physical geography]], terrain is the lay of the land. This is usually expressed in terms of the [[elevation]], [[slope]], and orientation of terrain features. Terrain affects surface water flow and distribution. Over a large area, it can affect [[weather]] and [[climate]] patterns. [[Bathymetry]] is the study of underwater relief, while [[hypsometry]] studies terrain relative to [[sea level]].