Hill
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{{redirect|Hills}}
{{otheruses6|The Hill}}
A '''hill''' is a [[landform]] that extends above the surrounding terrain, in a limited area. Hills often have a distinct [[summit]], although in areas with [[Escarpment|scarp/dip topography]] a ''hill'' may refer to a particular section of scarp slope without a well-defined summit (e.g. [[Box Hill, Surrey|Box Hill]]). A [[hillock]] is a small hill.
[[Image:View from connors hill panorama.jpg|thumb|500px|right|The panoramic view from Connors Hill, near [[Swifts Creek, Victoria]]]]
==Terminology==
The distinction between a hill and a [[mountain]] is unclear and largely subjective, but a hill is generally somewhat lower and less steep than a mountain. In the [[United Kingdom]] it is popularly believed that the [[Ordnance Survey]] defines a "mountain" as a peak greater than {{Convert|305|m|ft|lk=on}} above sea level, a belief which forms the basis of the film ''[[The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain]]''; in fact the OS maintains no such distinction today. [http://interactive2.usgs.gov/faq/list_faq_by_category/get_answer.asp?id=787] The [[Oxford English Dictionary]], by contrast, suggests a limit of 2000 ft (610 m). This has led to [[Cavanal Hill]] in [[Poteau, Oklahoma]], receive billing as the "World's Tallest Hill" due to its height of {{convert|1999|ft|m}}. Mountains in [[Scotland]] are frequently referred to as "hills" no matter what their height, as reflected in names such as the ''[[Cuillin]] Hills'' and the ''[[Torridon Hills]]''.
Artificial hills may be referred to by a variety of technical names. See [[mound]] and [[tumulus]].
[[Image:Judea 2 by David Shankbone.jpg|thumb|Hills of the [[Judean Desert]].]]
Hills may form through a number of [[geomorphology|geomorphic]] [[phenomena]]: [[Geologic fault|faulting]], [[erosion]] of larger landforms, such as mountains and movement and deposition of [[sediment]] by [[glacier]]s (eg. [[moraine]]s and [[drumlin]]s, or by erosion exposing solid rock which then weathers down into a hill. The rounded peaks of hills results from the [[diffusion|diffusive]] movement of [[soil]] and [[regolith]] covering the hill, a process known as [[downhill creep]].
Areas that would otherwise have hills do not because of glacier cover during the [[Ice Age]]. The contrast between the extreme plains of northern [[Indiana]], and the extreme hilliness of southern Indiana is a result of this.
There are various specific names used to describe particular types of hill, based on appearance and method of formation. Many such names originated in one geographical region to describe a type of hill formation peculiar to that region, though the names are often adopted by [[geology|geologists]] and used in a wider geographical context. These include:
* [[Drumlin]] – an elongated whale-shaped hill formed by glacial action.
* [[Butte]] – an isolated hill with steep sides and a small flat top, formed by weathering.
* [[Tor (geography)|Tor]] – a rock formation found on a hilltop; also used to refer to the hill itself, especially in [[South West England]].
* [[Puy]] – used especially in the [[Auvergne (region)|Auvergne]], [[France]], to describe a conical [[volcano|volcanic]] hill.
* [[Pingo]] – a mound of earth-covered ice found in the [[Arctic]] and [[Antarctica]].
== Historical significance ==
[[Image:Clouds over hills.jpg|thumb|Clouds over hills]]
Hills have played an important role in history.
Many settlements were originally built on hills, either to avoid or curb floods, particularly if they were near a large body of water, or for defence, since they offer a good view of the surrounding land and require would-be attackers to fight uphill. For example, [[Ancient Rome]] was [[Seven hills of Rome|built on seven hills]], protecting it from invaders.
In northern Europe, many ancient monuments are sited on hills. Some of these are defensive structures (such as the hill-forts of the Iron Age), but others appear to have had a religious significance. In Britain, many churches at the tops of hills are thought to have been built on the sites of earlier pagan holy places. The [[National Cathedral]] in [[Washington, DC]] has followed this tradition and was built on the highest hill in that city.
== Military significance ==
[[Image:Bunker Hill by Pyle.jpg|thumb|right|[[Battle of Bunker Hill|The Battle of Bunker Hill]]]]
Hills provide a major advantage to an army, giving them an elevated firing position and forcing an opposing army to charge uphill to attack them. They may also conceal forces behind them, allowing a force to lay in wait on the crest of a hill, using that crest for cover, and firing on unsuspecting attackers as they broach the hilltop.
As a result, conventional military strategies often demand possession of high ground. Hills have become sites for many noted battles, such as the first recorded military conflict in [[Scotland]] known as the battle of [[Mons Graupius]], which some scholars associate with [[Kempstone Hill]] in [[Aberdeenshire]]. Modern conflicts include [[Battle of Bunker Hill|the Battle of Bunker Hill]] (which was actually fought on [[Breed's Hill]]) in the [[American Revolutionary War|American War for Independence]] and [[Cemetery Hill]] and [[Culp's Hill]] in the [[Battle of Gettysburg]], the turning point of the [[American Civil War]]. The [[Battle of San Juan Hill]] in the [[Spanish-American War]] won Americans control of [[Santiago de Cuba|Santiago]]. The [[Battle of Alesia]] was also fought from a hilltop [[fort]].
==Sports and games==
[[Image:Beinn dearg torridon.jpg|thumb|right|Hillwalkers on [[Beinn Dearg]], Scotland]]
'''[[Hillwalking]]''' is a [[British English]] term for a form of [[hiking]] which involves the ascent of hills. The activity is usually distinguished from [[mountaineering]] as it does not involve ropes or technically difficult rock climbing, although the terms mountain and hill are often used interchangeably in Britain. Hillwalking is popular in mountainous areas such as the English [[Peak District]] or the [[Scottish Highlands]]. Many hills are categorised according to relative height or other criteria and feature on lists named after mountaineers, such as [[Munro]]s (Scotland) or [[Hill_lists_in_the_British_Isles#Wainwrights|Wainwrights]] (England). Specific locating activities such as "[[peak bagging]]" (or "Munro bagging") involve climbing hills on these lists with the aim of completing (or "compleating") the list.
[[Image:Golf bunkers Filton.jpg|thumb|right|An example of a [[golf course]] in [[England]] that has hills.]]
In '''[[golf]]''', the terrain on golf courses is often made more rugged and hilly to make the holes harder to play. For example, the hole may be located at the top of a hill, and the course is designed specifically to make it almost impossible to allow the [[golf ball]] to rest near the top; it would roll down, and the player would have to try again.
'''[[Cheese rolling]]''' is an annual event in the [[West Country]] of [[England]] which involves rolling a wheel of [[cheese]] down a hill. Contestants stand at the top and chase the wheel of cheese to the bottom. The winner, the one who catches the cheese, gets to keep the wheel of cheese as a prize.
==Gallery==
{{clear}}
<gallery>
Image:DirkvdM orosi hill plantation.jpg|A coffee plantation on a conical hill near [[Orosí]], [[Costa Rica]].
Image:Xn ant hill.jpg|Some hills can be quite small, such as this [[Ant-hill]]
Image:Hills south west of Sanandaj near the village of Kilaneh.jpg|Hills south west of [[Sanandaj]] near the village of [[Kilaneh]], [[Kurdistan Province (Iran)|Kurdistan Province]] of [[Iran]].
</gallery>
== See also ==
{{wiktionarypar|hill}}
{{Commonscat|hills}}
*[[Colluvium]]
*[[Crag and tail]]
*[[Dune]]
*[[Jack and Jill (song)]]
*[[Kame]]
*[[King of the Hill (game)]]
*[[List of famous hills]]
*[[Mountain]]
*[[Tell]]
*[[moorland|Moor]]
== References ==
{{refimprove||date=June 2006}}
*[http://books.google.com/books?id=_4AlAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA88&dq=hill+landform&as_brr=1#PPA340,M1 Earth Sculpture; Or, The Origin of Land-forms]
*[http://books.google.com/books?id=nkE2AAAAMAAJ&pg=PA49&dq=hill+landform&as_brr=1 The International Geography]
==External links==
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