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, January 29, 2024
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Know before you go.
mountain
Mountain, landform that rises prominently above its surroundings, generally exhibiting steep slopes, a relatively confined...
lake
Lake, any relatively large body of slowly moving or standing water that occupies an inland basin of appreciable size. Definitions...
glacier
Glacier, any large mass of perennial ice that originates on land by the recrystallization of snow or other forms of solid...
Asia
Asia, the world’s largest and most diverse continent. It occupies the eastern four-fifths of the giant Eurasian landmass....
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Geography & Travel Subcategories
Cities & Towns
This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.
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Brasília
national capital, Brazil
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Naples
Italy
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Rio de Janeiro
Brazil
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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African Meeting House
church, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
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Russian Empire
historical empire, Europe
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German Empire
historical nation, Germany
Highways & Trails
This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.
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Intracoastal Waterway
shipping route, United States
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Whitehall
district, Westminster, London, United Kingdom
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King’s Highway
ancient road, Middle East
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.
Articles
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
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.
Articles
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Kilimanjaro
mountain, Tanzania
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North America
continent
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continent
geography
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.
Articles
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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.
Articles
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South Australia
state, Australia
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Quebec
province, Canada
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Florida
state, United States
Geographic Regions
This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.
Articles
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North Africa
region, Africa
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Central Asia
region, Asia
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Silicon Valley
region, California, United States
Tourist Attractions
This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.
Articles
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Eiffel Tower
tower, Paris, France
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Neuschwanstein Castle
castle, Germany
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Leaning Tower of Pisa
tower, Pisa, Italy