How to use the definite article THE in Geographical Names.
The definite article THE means this, that. It answers the question which one?. It can be used with both singular and plural nouns. A noun is first introduced with the indefinite article and the definite article is used to refer to it again.
We Use the Definite Article THE with
- Points of compass: the North, the South, the East, and the West
E.g. The northernmost point on land is Kaffeklubben Island in the North.
- Unions of countries, states: the United States of America, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, etc.
E.g. The Russian Federation is the biggest country in the world.
- Groups of islands: the Philippines, the Caribbean, the Canaries, etc.
E.g. The Bahamas are the richest islands in the world.
- Seas: the Mediterranean, the Black, the Red, etc.
E.g. The Dead Sea is the saltiest sea in the world.
- Gulfs: the Persian gulf, the Finland gulf, etc.
E.g. The Gulf of Mexico is the largest gulf in the world.
- Groups of lakes: the Great Lakes, the Shats Lakes, the Vlahini Lakes, etc.
E.g. The Great Lakes form the largest lake group in the world.
- Rivers: the Danube, the Dnipro, the Amazon, etc.
E.g. The Nile is the longest river in the world.
- Canals and channels: the English channel, the Panama canal, the Suez canal, etc.
E.g. The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand canal is the longest canal in the world.
- Poles: the North pole and the South pole
E.g. The lowest temperature recorded at the North Pole is 68⁰C
- Republics: the Czech Republic, the Republic of Cuba, the Congo, etc.
E.g. The Republic of Vannuatu is the happiest country in the world.
- Continents: the Arctic and the Antarctic, etc.
E.g. The Antarctic is the coldest continent in the world.
- Groups of mountains: the Rocky mountains, the Caucasus, the Carpathians, etc.
E.g. The Himalayas are the highest mountains in the world.
- Oceans: the Pacific, the Indian, the Atlantic and the Arctic
E.g. The Indian Ocean is the warmest ocean in the world.
- Waterfalls: the Victoria falls, the Niagara falls, etc.
E.g. The Angel Falls in Venezeula is the tallest waterfall in the world.
- Deserts: the Sahara, the Gobi, the Kara Kum, etc.
E.g. The Lut Desert in Iran is the hottest in Iran is the hottest desert in the world.