Geographical Use of the Definite Article THE in English

• 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.

Definite Article THE | Image