7.8: Geography and ‘The’

With geographic nouns, sometimes you use ‘the’ and sometimes you don’t. Confusing, right? No longer:

DON’T USE ‘THE’

Single Mountains or Islands

Example \(\PageIndex{1}\):

• Mount Hood
• Madagascar

Most Countries and Continents

Example \(\PageIndex{2}\):

• France
• Algeria
• North Korea
• Australia
• Antarctica

Streets, Squares, and Parks

Example \(\PageIndex{3}\):

• Linden Street
• Madison Square
• Yosemite National Park

Bays, Single Lakes

Example \(\PageIndex{4}\):

• Honolulu Bay
• Lake Michigan

Cities, States, and Counties

Example \(\PageIndex{5}\):

• Reno
• Florida
• Howard County

USE ‘THE’

Groups of Islands

Example \(\PageIndex{6}\):

the British Isles

Canals and Rivers

Example \(\PageIndex{7}\):

• the Suez Canal
• the Mississippi

Peninsulas

Example \(\PageIndex{8}\):

• the Arabian Peninsula
• the Iberian Peninsula

Country Names with of phrase

Example \(\PageIndex{9}\):

• the Democratic Republic of Congo
• the Republic of South Korea

Mountain Ranges

Example \(\PageIndex{10}\):

• the Cascades
• the Andes

Oceans, Seas, and Gulfs

Example \(\PageIndex{11}\):

• the Atlantic Ocean
• the Mediterranean Sea
• the Gulf of Mexico

Large Regions and Deserts

Example \(\PageIndex{12}\):

• the West Coast
• the Gobi