Geography & Travel
Planet Earth contains some extraordinarily diverse environments, some of which are easily habitable and some not so much. In different areas of Earth, one might find sweltering deserts, dense tropical rainforests, or bone-chilling tundras. Each biome and habitat comes with its own selection of flora and fauna, and it may include physical features such as canyons, volcanoes, rivers, or caves. Human beings have built homes in many different environments, settling the area and organizing it into units such as cities, states, regions, and countries, each with its own points of interest. Shifting trends in human migration have resulted in a human geography that is profoundly different from that of centuries ago.
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Featured content, December 09, 2024
What Is the Newest Country in the World?
Some countries seem as though they’ve been around since the dawn of time. But others are considerably newer. Which is the...
9 Architectural Landmarks in Buenos Aires
Know before you go.
How Do Countries Choose Their Capital Cities?
London, Tokyo, Buenos Aires…How are national capitals chosen?
8 of the World’s Most-Remote Islands
How many of these faraway lands have you heard of?
Southeast Indian
Southeast Indian, member of any of the Native American peoples of the southeastern United States. The boundaries of this...
Antarctica
Antarctica, the world’s southernmost and fifth largest continent. Its landmass is almost wholly covered by a vast ice sheet....
Native American
Native American, member of any of the aboriginal peoples of the Western Hemisphere, although the term often connotes only...
North America
North America, third largest of the world’s continents, lying for the most part between the Arctic Circle and the Tropic...
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Geography & Travel Subcategories
Countries of the World
Although there isn’t universal agreement on the question of what qualifies as a “country,” it is generally accepted that in order to be a country, a state must be a sovereign unit that has a permanent population, defined territorial boundaries, a government, and the ability to enter into agreements with other states. Even when these conditions are met, however, internationally recognized independence is not a given, and a territorial entity that declares itself to be an independent country is not always recognized as such by the rest of the world.
Articles
Historical Places
This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.
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German Empire
historical nation, Germany
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Soviet Union
historical state, Eurasia
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history of Mesopotamia
historical region, Asia
Highways & Trails
This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.
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Wall Street
street, New York City, New York, United States
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Goodnight-Loving Trail
cattle trail, Texas, United States
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Natchez Trace Parkway
highway, United States
Human Geography
Since 1945 human geography has contained five main divisions. The first four—economic, social, cultural, and political—reflect both the main areas of contemporary life and the social science disciplines with which geographers interact (i.e., economics, sociology, anthropology, and political science and international relations, respectively); the fifth is historical geography.
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Northwest Coast Indian
people
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South American Indian
people
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Plains Indian
people
Languages
Language, a system of conventional spoken, manual, or written symbols by means of which human beings, as members of a social group and participants in its culture, express themselves. The functions of language include communication, the expression of identity, play, imaginative expression, and emotional release.
Articles
- writing
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semiotics
study of signs
- English language
Physical Geography of Land
Earth’s geographic history has been one marked by significant overall change, with ice ages, continental drift, and other major disruptions ultimately shaping Earth's land into the landscape of mountain ranges, deserts, islands, and volcanoes that we see today.
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volcano
geology
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Kilimanjaro
mountain, Tanzania
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North America
continent
Physical Geography of Water
Whether it's Lake Michigan, the Gulf of Panama, or the River Thames, bodies of water of all shapes and sizes can be found around the globe, and they play a critical role for human beings, who use such bodies of water as a source of drinking water, a means of transporting both goods and people themselves, or a place to engage in water sports, among a plethora of other possible uses. Additionally, many bodies of water provide striking scenes of natural beauty and house important marine ecosystems. Satiate your thirst for knowledge about Earth's oceans, lakes, seas, rivers, waterfalls, bays, and more.
Articles
- Arctic Ocean
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Great Pacific Garbage Patch
polluted region, Pacific Ocean
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ocean
Earth feature
Nature Reserves & National Parks
Nature reserves are areas set aside for the purpose of preserving and protecting plants and animals, particularly endangered species. National parks may effectively serve a similar purpose by shielding threatened species from hunters, but these parks can also be created for the purpose of public recreation, affording its visitors a chance to be immersed in a protected natural environment. Many national parks have been created in the last 100 years, including Yellowstone National Park, the oldest and probably the best-known national park in the United States.
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Sequoia National Park
national park, California, United States
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Wrangell–Saint Elias National Park and Preserve
national park, Alaska, United States
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Denali National Park and Preserve
national park, Alaska, United States
States & Other Subdivisions
Every nation has its own subdivisions to demarcate smaller political units within its territory. Counties, districts, oblasts, polis, nomos, unitary authorities, boroughs, and cities are all examples (among many others) of how land can be organized.
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Queensland
state, Australia
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Minnesota
state, United States
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Michigan
state, United States
Tourist Attractions
This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.
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Big Ben
clock, London, United Kingdom
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Machu Picchu
ancient city, Peru
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Palace of Versailles
palace, Versailles, France
Geographic Regions
This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.
Articles
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Central Asia
region, Asia
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Silicon Valley
region, California, United States
- Palestine