Promontory
For other uses, see Promontory (disambiguation).
Sròn a Chorra Bhuilg, a typical promontory, in the Scottish Highlands.
A promontory is a raised mass of land, declined abruptly from only one side. It can overlook water (in which case it can be called a peninsula) or land.
Most promontories either are formed from a hard ridge of rock that has resisted the erosive forces that have removed the softer rock to the sides of it, or are the high ground that remains between two river valleys where they form a confluence.
Throughout history many forts and castles have been built on promontories because of their inherent defensibility. The promontory forts in Ireland are examples of this. Similarly, the ancient town of Ras Bar Balla in southern Somalia, which in the Middle Ages was part of the Ajuran Sultanate's domain, was built on a small promontory.[1]
See also
- Headlands and bays
- Promontory fort
- Law Promontory
- Promontory, Utah
- Monte Argentario
- Promontory Point, Utah
- Rabbit's Back
- Wilsons Promontory
- Bol, Croatia
References
- ↑ Sanseverino, Hilary Costa (1983). "Archaeological Remains on the Southern Somali Coast". Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa 18 (1): 151–164. doi:10.1080/00672708309511319. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
External links
The dictionary definition of promontory at Wiktionary
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