Promontory

For other uses, see Promontory (disambiguation).

Sròn a Chorra Bhuilg, a typical promontory, in the Scottish Highlands.

A promontory is a prominent mass of land that overlooks lower lying land or a body of water (where it may be called a peninsula or headland).

Most promontories are either 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.

See also

• Headlands and bays
• Promontory fort
• Law Promontory
• Promontory, Utah
• Promontory Point, Utah
• Wilsons Promontory
• Bol, Croatia