Articles With Geographical Names

1. No article (Ø)

We usually do not use “the” with:

Continents

1. Europe, Asia, Africa
2. Example: She travelled across Europe.

Most countries

1. France, Brazil, Japan
2. Example: They live in Canada.

Cities and towns

1. London, Tokyo, Paris
2. Example: He moved to London.

Streets, roads, squares

1. Oxford Street, Times Square
2. Example: The shop is on Oxford Street.

Lakes

1. Lake Victoria, Lake Superior
2. Example: We visited Lake Victoria.

Single mountains

1. Mount Everest, Mount Kilimanjaro
2. Example: Mount Everest is very high.

2. Use “the”

We use “the” with:

Rivers

1. the Nile, the Amazon
2. Example: The Nile is very long.

Seas and oceans

1. the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean
2. Example: They sailed across the Atlantic Ocean.

Mountain ranges

1. the Alps, the Himalayas
2. Example: The Alps are popular for skiing.

Groups of islands

1. the Maldives, the Canary Islands
2. Example: The Maldives are beautiful.

Deserts

1. the Sahara, the Gobi Desert
2. Example: The Sahara is very hot.

Regions

1. the Middle East, the Arctic
2. Example: Oil is important in the Middle East.

3. Countries with “the”

We use “the” with countries when:

The name is plural

1. the Netherlands, the Philippines
2. Example: She is from the Netherlands.

The name includes words like:

1. states, kingdom, republic
2. Examples:
3. the United States
4. the United Kingdom
5. the Czech Republic

Example: He lives in the United States.

4. Special cases

Buildings, hotels, museums, cinemas

1. the Ritz Hotel
2. the British Museum
3. Example: We visited the British Museum.

Famous landmarks

1. the Eiffel Tower
2. the Great Wall
3. Example: The Eiffel Tower is in Paris.