Is the article used before countries? Articles with proper names. Before the names of the poles and equator

Use of the article "The" with geographical names, countries and languages.

Names (including names of cities and countries) are used without articles.

For example:
John, Mary, Julianna, Irina, Moscow, Odessa, Ukraine, America (but: the Hague - ex.)

Nations, nationalities, ethnic groups as a whole are used with "The".

For example:
the Americans, the Japanese, the Indians (Americans, Japanese, Indians).

Languages ​​(only with the word language) - the English language, the Russian language.
But! Just languages ​​without articles - English.

For example:
English, French, Russian, Thai, Swahili.

Names of states containing the word republic, union, kingdom, etc. used with "The".

For example:
The United States,
the United Kingdom,
the South African Republic,
the Soviet Union,
the German Federal Republic,
the People's Republic of China.

Countries in the singular, the name of which is perceived as a name (usually consists of 1 word), including the names of individual states, are used without an article.

For example:
England, France, China, Ukraine, Germany, Georgia, Utah, Arkansas, Great Britain, Northern Ireland, South Africa.

Countries and other geographical names are used in the plural with "The".

For example:
the Netherlands,
the United States,
the Philippines,
the Canary Islands,
the Urals,
the Great Lakes.

Oceans, seas, bays, straits, rivers, groups of lakes, archipelagos, mountain ranges, deserts have the article "The".

For example:
the Arctic, the Black Sea, the Persian Gulf, the British Channel, the Danube, the Great Lakes, the Bahamas, the Caucasus, the Sahara Desert.

But! individual lakes, waterfalls, mountains are used without an article.

For example:
Baikal, Victoria Falls, Vesuvius, Montblanc, Everest, Elbrus.

Cardinal directions - with "The".

For example:
the South, the North, the West, the Middle East.

Continents - without article.
For example:
Europe, North America, East Asia, South Africa.

Earth, sky, moon, sun - with "The".
For example:
The Earth, the sky, the Moon, the Sun.

Planets, stars, constellations do not have an article.
For example:
Jupiter, Mars.

Countries and states (without article)

Argentina - Argentina
Australia - Australia
Austria - Austria
Belgium - Belgium
Brazil - Brazil
Canada - Canada
Chile - Chile
China - China
Denmark - Denmark
Egypt - Egypt
England - England
France - France
Germany - Germany
(Great) Britain - Great Britain/Britain
Greece - Greece
Holland - Holland
Hungary - Hungary
India - India
Iran - Iran
Ireland - Ireland
Israel - Israel
Italy - Italy
Japan - Japan
Japan - Japan
Lebanon - Lebanon
Luxembourg - Luxembourg
Mexico - Mexico
Mongolia - Mongolia
Morocco - Morocco
Mozambique - Mozambique
New Zealand - New Zealand
Norway - Norway
Poland - Poland
Portugal - Portugal
Russia - Russia
Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia
Scotland - Scotland
Spain - Spain
Sweden - Sweden
Switzerland - Switzerland
Turkey - Türkiye
Wales - Wales

Countries and states (with the article the)

The Congo - Congo
the Netherlands - Netherlands
the UK (United Kingdom) - United Kingdom
the USA (United States of America) - USA (United States of America)

Continents and geographical areas (without article)
(South/North/Latin/Central) America - (North/South/Latin/Central) America
(Western/Eastern) Europe - (Western/Eastern) Europe
(Southeast/Central) Asia - (Southeast/Central) Asia
(South/North) Africa - (North/South) Africa
Australia - Australia
Antarctica - Antarctica
Siberia - Siberia

Continents and geographical areas (with the article the)
the (Western/Eastern/Northern/Southern) Hemisphere - (Western/Eastern/Northern/Southern) hemisphere
the Arctic - Arctic
the Antarctic - Antarctica
the (Far/Middle) East - (Far/Near) East
the (North/South) Pole - (North/South) pole

Some bays and lakes (no article)
Hudson Bay - Hudson Bay
San Francisco Bay - San Francisco Bay

(Lake) Baikal - Lake Baikal
Lake Victoria - Lake Victoria
Lake Superior - lake superior
Lake Huron - Lake Huron
Lake Michigan - Lake Michigan
Lake Erie - Lake Erie
Lake Ontario - Lake Ontario
Crater Lake - Crater Lake
Utah Lake - Utah Lake
Lake Geneva - Lake Geneva
Great Pond

Oceans, seas, bays, lakes, rivers, straits, channels and currents (with the article the)

The Atlantic Ocean (the Atlantic) - Atlantic Ocean
the Pacific Ocean (the Pacific) - Pacific Ocean
the Arctic Ocean - Arctic Ocean
the Indian Ocean - Indian Ocean

The Mediterranean Sea (the Mediterranean) - Mediterranean Sea
the Caribbean Sea (the Caribbean) - Caribbean Sea
the Red Sea - Red Sea
the Black Sea - Black Sea
the Caspian Sea - Caspian Sea
the North Sea - North Sea
the Baltic Sea - Baltic Sea
the Barents Sea - Barents Sea
the Bering Sea - Bering Sea
the Yellow Sea - The Yellow Sea
the Sea of ​​Okhotsk - Sea of ​​Okhotsk
the Sea of ​​Japan - Sea of ​​Japan
the Laptev Sea - Laptev Sea

The Gulf of Mexico - Gulf of Mexico
the Bay of Bengal - Bay of Bengal
the Gulf of Finland - Gulf of Finland
the Bay of Biscay - Bay of Biscay
the Persian Gulf - Persian Gulf

The Amazon (River) - Amazon River
the Nile (River) - Nile River
the Mississippi (River) - Mississippi River
the Missouri (River) - Missouri River
the Rio Grande - Rio Grande
the Yangtze (River) - Yangtze River
the Thames (River) / the River Thames - River Thames
the Seine (River) - the Seine River
the Danube (River) - Danube River
the Amur (River) - Amur River
the Dnepr (River) / the Dnieper - Dnieper River
the Lena (River) - Lena River
the Ob (River) - the Ob River
the Volga (River) - Volga River
the Yenisei (River) - Yenisei River
the Amu Darya - Amu Darya

The Strait of Gibraltar - Strait of Gibraltar
the Strait of Dover (Pas de Calais) - Strait of Dover (Pas de Calais)
the Strait of Magellan - Strait of Magellan
the Bering Strait - Bering Strait
the Dardanelles - Dardanelles Strait
the Bosporus/Bosphorus - Bosporus Strait

The English Channel (La Manche) - English Channel (English Channel)
the Mozambique Channel - Mozambique Channel
the Suez Canal - Suez Canal
the Panama Canal - Panama Canal
the Erie Canal

The Gulf Stream - Gulf Stream current
the Florida Current - Florida Current
the Japan Current (the Kuroshio) - Japanese Current (Kuroshio)

» Articles. Geographical names

Red Square, the Volga River or the USSR - are articles needed in English when we talk about geographical names? There are some rules for countries, others for streets and squares, and others for rivers and seas. Moreover, for each of the categories there are a number of exceptions when the rules do not apply. Articles are used or not used with geographical names simply because “it happened that way.” Let's try to figure it out.

The article is needed only in two cases - firstly, if the name of the country contains what is called “form government structure"- union, kingdom, states, republic, and so on. Therefore, there is a definite article in the names of such states, as the United States of America, the United Kingdom(the article remains in abbreviations - the USA, the UK). For lovers of exoticism and skyscrapers – we’ll add it here the UAE – the United Arab Emirates, and for those who remember the 1980 Olympics and the Berlin Wall – the USSR, the GDR. For modern Russia it's simple - Russia(no article) or the Russian Federation(with an article, since a federation is a form of government).

I'm back in the USSR. You don’t know how lucky you are, boys. I'm returning to the USSR. Guys, you yourself don’t know how happy you are here (The Beatles song full of irony).

The second case when an article is needed with countries is when the name of the country is a plural noun. Usually these are islands lost in the ocean - for example, the Philippines(Philippines) or the Bahamas(Bahamas). There is also a non-island state whose name contains plural – the Netherlands, Netherlands.

An exception that is unlikely to be useful in life is a small African country The Gambia(Gambia), she is perhaps the only one who is written with the article “just like that.”

An interesting situation has developed with Ukraine - Ukraine or The Ukraine? Until 1991, Ukraine was part of the USSR, and in this case other grammatical rules apply - and until 1991, indeed, the form was common The Ukraine. And since 1991, Ukraine, having become an independent state, is officially written without an article - Ukraine.

Articles are particularly difficult for English language learners because they are absent in the Russian language. provides additional information about the noun it precedes. There are two articles in total ( a— uncertain , the - certain) and it is always better to put article, rather than not putting it at all. If you don’t put the article, always be ready to explain “why?” In this lesson we will understand, In what cases is the article the placed before geographical names?

Rule 1. Article the Not countries and continents:

Exceptions:

1. the RF (the Russian Federation)
2. the UK (the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)
3. the USA (the United States of America)
4. the Netherlands – The Netherlands or Holland (Holland is an unofficial name)
5. the Irish Republic
6. the Chechen Republic
7. the Philippines
8. the United Arab Emirates

Also Article the is not used before the following geographical names:

Europe, Eurasia, Antarctica, Central Asia, North (South) America, Latin America, South-East Asia, Northern Africa, Western (Eastern Siberia), Siberia.

Remember: the Crimea (Crimea), the Far East ( Far East), the Middle East, the Midland s(England's Midlands), the Highland s ( Highlands), the Lowland s(Lowlands).

Rule 2. Article the not used with names cities.

Exception: the Hague – The Hague

Remember: The Hague is in the Netherlands. — The Hague is located in Holland.

Rule 3. Article the used before names cardinal directions(since they are the only ones in the world): the East (east), the West (west), the South (south), the North (north).

Rule 4. Article the used before nouns denoting type of geographical landscape

1. at the seaside - on the coast
2. on the coast - on the shore
3. in the country - out of town, in the village
4. in the countryside - in the countryside
5. in the forest - in the forest
6. in the wood(s) - in the forest
7. in the mountains - in the mountains
8. in the jungle - in the jungle

Rule 5. Article the used before names of water bodies: oceans, seas, rivers, canals, straits, lakes, except bays.

1. The Atlantic Ocean - Atlantic Ocean
2. The Red Sea – Red Sea
3. The Volga – Volga (river)
4. The Panama Canal – Panama Canal
5. The English Channel – English Channel
6. The Gulf Stream
7. The Baikal (the Baikal Lake) – Baikal (lake), But Lake Baikal, Lake Seliger

Exceptions - bay names: Hudson Bay

Rule 6. Article the used before names mountain ranges and island archipelagos(collective function of the article the, see ending –s at the end)

1. the Urals - Ural Mountains
2. the Caucasus - Caucasus Mountains
3. the Rocky Mountains - Rocky Mountains
4. the British Isles - British Isles
5. the Kurilas - Kuril Islands

Exceptions:

• mountain peaks: Elbrus, Everest, Ben Nevis, etc.
• single islands: Cuba, Cyprus, Haiti, etc.

Rule 7. Article the used before names deserts:

1. the Gobi
2. the Sahara - Sahara
3. the Kara-Kum - Kara-kum
4. the Kalahari - Kalahari

The article the with geographical names. Exercises

Exercise 1.Fill in the table with examples.

Exercise 2.Insert the article the where necessary.

British Isles are a group of _____ islands in ____ North Sea on ____ Atlantic coast of ___ Europe. ___ two largest islands are called ___ Britain and ___ Ireland. ___Ireland is divided into ___ two countries: ___ Irish Republic and ___Northern Ireland which is part of ___ United Kingdom. ___ two islands are separated by ____Irish Sea.

Exercise 3.Write down and remember the geographical names from exercise 2.

British Isles, North Sea, Atlantic Ocean, Europe, Britain, Ireland, Irish Republic, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom, Irish Sea.

Articles in English are one of the basic topics. However, they often cause difficulties for students. After all, there are no articles in the Russian language, and we don’t understand when to use them and when not to.

Articles before geographical objects (cities, countries, etc.) are part of this larger theme. In this article we will look at how to use them correctly.

Why are articles needed?

Article - it's a little tag that is placed in front of some words to make it easier for us to understand them. We do not translate articles into Russian. However, it is the article that is an indicator and helps us grasp information about the word. How? To answer this, let's look at the functions it performs.

The article performs the following functions:

• Shows what the object or creature in question. For example: table, chair, closet, cat, dog, student, teacher, etc.
• Shows that we are talking about something specific or general concept. Compare the following two sentences.

General: I want a car.
Specific: I want this red car.

There are two types of articles in English:

• definite - the- when we talk about something specific
• undefined - a/an- when it comes to a general concept

We looked at articles in detail in this article.

Articles with geographical names

Geographical name is a name that designates a specific geographical feature. For example: countries, mountains, islands, seas.

Before geographical names we put either the article the (since we indicate a specific object), or we do not put the article at all.

Let's look at this in detail.

1. Use of articles with country names

We use the article the when we talk about a country as a territory divided into several parts. This is called administrative division.

In such cases, the name contains the words: states, republic, federation, emirates, kingdom, etc.

That is, any words that show that this is a combination of several parts.

Let's look at an example:

We are speaking the United Kingdom of Great Britain (United Kingdom of Great Britain), since we mean unification. But we will say Great Britain - without the article.

We are speaking the Russian Federation (Russian Federation), meaning the unification of several parts. But Russia - without an article.

Let's look at the table:

2. Using the article with city names

It's very simple here. Remember, we do not put an article before the names of cities, states and villages.

Moscow - Moscow
Berlin - Berlin
Kiev - Kyiv
London - London
Beijing - Beijing
Amsterdam - Amsterdam
Paris - Paris
Rome - Rome

The exceptions are cities that are a state. For example, the Vatican.

3. Using the article with the names of seas, rivers, oceans

Before all water we use the article the. That is, this includes:

• oceans
• straits
• channels
• currents

For example:

the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean

the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean

the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean

the Black Sea
Black Sea

the Red Sea
Red sea

the Volga
Volga

the Don
Don

the Bosporus
Bosphorus

the Bering Strait
Bering Strait

the Sea of ​​Japan
Japanese Sea

4. Articles before mountain names

If we are talking about a mountain chain, that is, a connection of several peaks, then we put the article the.

For example:

the Andes
Andes

the Urals
Ural Mountains

the Alps
Alps

the Himalayas
Himalayas

If we are talking about a separate peak, mountain, volcano, then we do not use the article.

Elbrus
Elbrus

Kilimanjaro
Kilimanjaro

Vesuvius
Vesuvius

5. Articles with islands

Just like with mountains, if we are talking about a group of islands, then we put the article the:

the Canary Islands (the Canaries)
Canary Islands (Canary Islands)

the British Isles
British Isles

the Bahamas
Bahamas

If we mean individual islands, then the article is not used:

Cyprus
Cyprus

Madagascar
Madagascar

Jamaica
Jamaica

So, we looked at the use of articles with geographical objects. Now let's practice this.

Reinforcement task

Translate the following sentences into English. Leave your answers in the comments below the article.

1. Are you going to London?
2. She lives in the United States of America.
3. She was born in Russia.
4. They visited Madagascar.
5. Don is a big river.

Hello! There are two problems with the article the: either it is placed before any word, or it is forgotten and not used at all.

The fact is that with some geographical names the definite article the is used, but with others it is not. To understand, you need to remember a number of rules and exceptions.

We have prepared a table for you from which you will find out which names you should use the with. We have included general cases and rules in this material, but do not forget that there are exceptions to every rule.

Article placement exercises

Exercise 1.

Interesting facts about waterspaces.

1. ___ BermudaTriangle is located in ___ Atlantic Ocean.
2. The longest river of the world is ___ Nile River.
3. The lowest lake of the world is ___ Dead Sea, the deepest lake is ___ Lake Baikal, the longest lake is ___ Tanganyika.
4. ___ Lake Superior is the largest of ___ Great Lakes.
5. In ___ Atlantic Ocean, ___ American Mediterranean Sea is the combination of the seas of ___ Gulf of Mexico and ___ Caribbean Sea.
6. ___ Victoria Falls is the largest waterfall in the world. ___Tugela Falls is the world’s second tallest. Europe’s highest waterfall is ___ Utigard in Norway.

Exercise 2. Insert the appropriate article into the sentences.

1. During our unforgettable tour across ___ Europe we visited many countries: ___ France, ___ Belgium and ____ Netherlands in ___ Western Europe; ___ Spain and ___ Italy in ___Southern Europe; ___ Poland and ___Belarus in ___ Eastern Europe.
2. The country I liked most of all was ___ amazing Italy. I got to know much about its history and culture. During the numerous excursions, I learned that ___ Medieval Italy was a real center of art.
3. The capital city of ___ Italy is ___Rome. It is a city that is full of history. Walking in its streets you can easily imagine ___ Rome of ancient times, because there are a lot of historical evidence of those times.
4. ___ Rome of today is a modern beautiful city with charming and hospitable inhabitants and a lot of tourists that are eager to do the sightseeing and to visit ___ Vatican.
5. Next year I want to visit ____ South America and to ____ Buenos Aires in ____ Argentina.

Exercise 3 . Insert the appropriate article into the sentences.

1. ___ Island of Madeira is historically Portuguese territory.
2. ___ Arctic Archipelago extends from Canada to the northernmost of ___ Ellesmere Island.
3. A journey to ___ Greenland may appear to be unbelievably interesting.
4. ___ Virgin Islands, also known as ___ British Virgin Islands or ___BVI, is a British territory to the east of Puerto Rico. The islands make up a significant part of ___ Virgin Islands archipelago; the remaining islands make up ___ US Virgin Islands and ___ Spanish Virgin Islands.
5. ___ Borneo is situated in the waters of the South China Sea

Exercise 4. Insert the appropriate article into the sentences.

1. ___ Death Valley is located near the border of ___California and ___Nevada, in ___ Great Basin.
2. There are two lighthouses near or in ___ Cape Horn.
3. ___ Texas is the second most populous (after ___ California) and the second-largest (after___ Alaska) state. Located in ___ south central part of the country, ___ Texas borders on ___ Mexican states of ___ Chihuahua, ___ Coahuila, ___ Nuevo León, and ___ Tamaulipas to ___ south.
4. ___ Gobi covers part of ___ northern and ___northwestern China, and part of ___southern Mongolia. ___ Gobi is bounded by ___ Hexi Corridor and ___Tibetan Plateau to ___ southwest, by___ North China Plain to ___southeast. ___ Gobi is notable in history as part of ___ Silk Road.

Exercise 5. Insert the appropriate article into the sentences.

1. ___ North Pole is also known as ___ Geographic North Pole or ___Terrestrial North Pole It is defined as the point in ___ Northern Hemisphere where ___ Earth’s axis of rotation meets its surface. Don’t confuse it with ___ North Magnetic Pole.
2. ___East is one of the four compass points. It is the opposite of ___west and is perpendicular to___ north and ___south.
3. We went from ___ East to ___West
4. ___ North Pole lies diametrically opposite ___ South Pole
5. My dwelling is in ___ South of the country.
6. Go straight ___ north.