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, July 20, 2024
What State Is Washington, D.C. In?
U.S. geography can be complicated.
7 (or 8) Summits: The World’s Highest Mountains by Continent
Climbing each continent’s highest mountain is a major mountaineering achievement. Read this list to learn more about the...
12 Incredible Buildings in South Africa
Learn Before You Look
Where Does the Name Europe Come From?
Europe existed as a conceptual construct long before geographers began arguing whether there are seven continents or six,...
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
![Ukraine](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.britannica.com/14/4814-050-12EFD9D1/Flag-Ukraine.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop)
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
![Roman Forum](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.britannica.com/45/196945-050-CCF8BD72/Temple-of-Saturn-Arch-Septimius-Severus-Forum.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop)
This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.
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ancient Greek civilization
historical region, Eurasia
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Ottoman Empire
historical empire, Eurasia and Africa
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Forbidden City
palace complex, Beijing, China
![Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.britannica.com/98/187398-050-6903974B/Fir-trees-Pacific-Crest-National-Scenic-Trail.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop)
This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.
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Pilgrims’ Way
ancient route, England, United Kingdom
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Chisholm Trail
cattle trail, United States
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Burma Road
highway, Asia
![Distribution of North American Plateau Indians](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.britannica.com/38/5538-050-59170F0C/Indigenous-peoples-North-American-Plateau-Indians.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop)
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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Native American
Indigenous peoples of Canada and United States
- South American forest Indian
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California Indian
people
![Some of the pictorial signs used at the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Calif.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.britannica.com/28/5228-050-64348D17/Some-signs-1984-Summer-Olympic-Games-Los-1984.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop)
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
![Mount St. Helens volcano](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.britannica.com/16/77416-120-6D5A3D41/volcano-Mount-St-Helens-south-eruption-May-18-1980.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop)
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
![Arctic Ocean](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.britannica.com/53/5853-004-FF0BE165/North-Pole.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop)
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
![Sequoia National Park](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.britannica.com/40/100640-050-277EE821/Hiker-Sequoia-National-Park-Sierra-Nevada-California.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop)
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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Yosemite National Park
national park, California, United States
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Zion National Park
national park, Utah, United States
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Great Smoky Mountains National Park
national park, North Carolina-Tennessee, United States
![flag of Queensland](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.britannica.com/74/3674-050-621AA771/Flag-Queensland.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop)
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
![Big Ben](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.britannica.com/49/136849-050-6A33C899/Big-Ben-London.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop)
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
![North Africa](https://cdn.statically.io/img/cdn.britannica.com/35/3035-004-8A9585C0/Northern-Africa-map-elevation.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop)
This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.
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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