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 24, 2024
21 Tombs Around the World
Know before you go.
What Is the Difference Between South America and Latin America?
Not all of South America is Latin America and vice versa.
9 of the World’s Deepest Lakes
How deep is your lake?
Why Are Some Time Zones 30 Minutes Off Instead of an Hour?
Learn why the world’s time zones can be disorderly.
geography
Geography, the study of the diverse environments, places, and spaces of Earth’s surface and their interactions. It seeks...
African Americans
African Americans, one of the largest of the many ethnic groups in the United States. African Americans are mainly of African...
South America
South America, fourth largest of the world’s continents. It is the southern portion of the landmass generally referred to...
Indo-Aryan languages
Indo-Aryan languages, subgroup of the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European language family. In the early 21st century,...
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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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Russian Empire
historical empire, Europe
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German Empire
historical nation, Germany
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Soviet Union
historical state, Eurasia
![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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Champs-Élysées
thoroughfare, Paris, France
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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
![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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Great Basin Indian
people
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Northwest Coast Indian
people
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South American 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.
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North America
continent
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continent
geography
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Mount Aconcagua
mountain, Argentina
![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
- Arctic Ocean
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Great Pacific Garbage Patch
polluted region, Pacific Ocean
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ocean
Earth feature
![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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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
![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.
Articles
![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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Windsor Castle
castle, England, United Kingdom
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Notre-Dame de Paris
cathedral, Paris, France
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Grand Canyon
canyon, Arizona, United States
![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