The use of articles with geographical names
| Zero Article | Indefinite Article | Definite Article | ||
| Continents | Europe; Asia; Antarctica modified by some descriptive attributes in pre-position*, · North America Central Asia | · | limitation clear from the context, e.g. It was the Europe of 1600s. | |
| Countries | is used if the names consist of one word Ukraine; England; Poland | indicates some unusual qualities or mood in the given situation It was a new Italy Marko did not recognize. | is used if the names consist of more than one word · the United States of America · the United Emirates · the United Kingdom indicates traditional use · the Argentine (but Argentina) · the Netherlands · (the) Lebanon; (the) Congo; (the) Senegal; (the) Kameroon; (the) Sudan | |
| Regions and provinces | Kharkiv Region, | indicates traditional use · the Lake District · the Caucasus; the Crimea · the Ruhr; the Tyrol; the Riviera; the Transvaal; the Saar | ||
| Cities, towns, villages | · London (city) · Broadstairs (town) · Middlemead (village) | to show some unusual qualities or mood in the given situation It was a different Paris unknown to him. | 1. clear from the situation, usually with a limiting attribute, e.g. It was not the France of his youth. 2. with an ‘of-phrase’, e.g. the city of Chester; the village of Amberley 3. an exception - the Hague | |
| Mountains,mountain passes and islands | separate mountains, peaks and islands · Snowdon · Mount Everest · Cyprus | mountain chains and groups pf islands · the Rocky Mountains · the Bahamas · the Saint Gottard Pass · the Isle of Man (of-phrase) | ||
| Lakes | with the word ‘lake’ Lake Michigan; Silver Lake | without the word ‘lake’ the Michigan, the Windermere | ||
| Oceans, seas, rivers, straights, channels, canals, waterfalls, bays, gulfs | · the Indian Ocean · the North Sea · the Trent (a river in England) · the Magellan Straits (the Strait of Magellan) · the English Channel · the Panama Canal · the Niagara Falls · North Bay (but the San Francisco Bay) · the Gulf of Mexico | |||
| Peninsulas and capes | · Hindustan · Labrador · Cape Horn · Cape Province | with the word ‘peninsula’ · the Hindustan Peninsula with ‘of – phrase’ (traditional use) · the Cape of Good Hope | ||
| Deserts | the Sahara Desert | |||
| Names traditionally used in the plural | · the Midlands · the Netherlands · the Yorkshire Forests | |||
| Streets, squares, parks | · Baker Street · Drury Lane · Brown Close · Sunset Boulevard · Piccadilly Circus · Hyde Park | traditional use · the Strand (in London) · the High Street · The Main Street · the Mall · the Plaza San Marco |
* The descriptive attributes that usually modify geographical names in pre-position are: northern, southern, eastern, western, central, minor, south-west (etc), Latin, ancient, old, new, industrial, medieval, modern,