Questions tagged [geography]
Questions related to geography.
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0answers
31 views
'Czech'/'Swiss' to refer to the country?
An increasing number of my friends in India and the United Kingdom use 'Czech' to refer to the Czech Republic (and a smaller number do the same with saying 'Swiss' for Switzerland). When politely ...
1
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2answers
78 views
What are analogous words to “occidental” and “oriental” for southern and northern? [duplicate]
Definitions
Occidental: "1: relating to the countries of the West"
Oriental: "1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the Orient, or East; Eastern."
So, occidental is effectively a word that is a ...
3
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1answer
420 views
What does “water rich area” mean?
I am unsure how to specifically define a water-rich area. I assume that it is an area of water surplus but I am led to believe it has a more specific definition for I have been asked it as a separate ...
2
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1answer
122 views
A proper universal name for any city or town, regardless of its size [duplicate]
I'm facing a pressing issue with choosing a proper way to call a place (city, town), regardless of its size.
1) Has to describe places of any size (from pop. 5 to 5 mil.)
2) Must describe any ...
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0answers
263 views
What is the term used to refer to the words “landlocked” and “coastal”? [closed]
In geography, a place may either be inland/landlocked or coastal in reference to its borders.
Example:
San Diego is a coastal city in the state of California.
Now, I would want to use a label ...
0
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0answers
15 views
Guiding tables below the maps and color-coded tables in English [duplicate]
Usually, there is a guiding table below the maps and color-coded tables, to help reader what is the meaning of each color or element. What is that table called in English?
0
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1answer
154 views
Northwest Territories and Papal States
The Northwest Territories of Canada are only one territory, and the Papal States in Italy consisted of only one state. Why is the plural used? (In Italian, one says "Stato Pontificio", which is ...
3
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2answers
2k views
The Southern US, or the southern US? [duplicate]
To my understanding, specific geographic regions are always capitalized.
For example, Southern US is proper because it is a specific region.
However, a co-author argues that southern should not be ...
0
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1answer
265 views
Terms for different types of soil (pictures included)
As a non-native speaker, I'm struggling to describe environments comprehensibly and detailedly.
The following picture shows typical ground in a forest, and I would most likely call it earth or soil.
...
2
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1answer
119 views
Why is the phrase “coal country” uncountable in this sentence? Does it mean a particular region?
Why is the phrase "coal country" uncountable in this sentence? Does it mean a particular region?
Were he frustrated in Congress, the president would surely fall back on areas where he has a free ...
2
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1answer
232 views
Etymology of “Dubai”
I need to etymologize the city name Dubai (United Arab Emirates) for a project. Etymonline only lists the origins as "uncertain" and Wiktionary traces it to دُبَيّ, the Arabic term for it (pronounced ...
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1answer
119 views
Wallonia or Walloon Region? [duplicate]
What is the preferred way to refer to la Wallonie in English -- Wallonia or Walloon Region?
2
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2answers
115 views
The grammatical number of “Newfoundland and Labrador”
Some of the confusion among the posted answers cause me to add this prefatory note: There is one province called Newfoundland and Labrador. There is no province called Newfoundland and there is no ...
5
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1answer
322 views
Etymology of “Djibouti”
The country name Djibouti has no etymology listed on both Etymonline and Wiktionary. I do know that's it named after the city for sure, but where did that come from?
I tried to research it, but all I ...
4
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2answers
694 views
Capitalising names of geographical/tourist terms
I'm translating a series of short tourism-related texts from Croatian to English and I can't find definitive answers for some of my dilemmas:
Names of waterfalls / caves / trails & word order
...
4
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2answers
2k views
A word to describe the point of land at the confluence of two rivers?
I'm seeking a word that best describes the point of land created by the confluence of two rivers. The parcel of land in question would be situated in between the two rivers as their flow combined to ...
2
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4answers
447 views
Is there a word for a road or river that runs almost “vertical” in the map?
Is there an adjective to describe a road or a river whose orientation is nearly north to south (e.g. looks vertical in the map)? An example sentence would be, "the [word] highway between Foopolis and ...
4
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2answers
377 views
Name for the peak of a plateau
The highest point; the flatland.
Ex: Summit is to mountain/hill as _____ is to plateau.
Would summit just be acceptable in itself?
6
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6answers
2k views
Word for crossing the bottom of a valley
To refer to the highest point on a hill, one might use the word "crest":
He walked up to the crest of the hill, and surveyed his surroundings.
On the other hand, one might also use "crest" as a ...
1
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0answers
127 views
Term for derogatory suffix used with city names?
When speaking of a city in negative terms one might attach a prefix/suffix to the city name. This nickname is a portmanteau that implies a derogatory tone. Most often this will be a negative term but ...
1
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3answers
2k views
Another word for a single line of trees on a hilltop, as seen from a distance
There's definitely a single word that is used to describe, when seen from a distance, a single row of trees on a hilltop. I searched quite a bit but am unable to find the word.
3
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1answer
1k views
How do you write “deep south”?
How does one write "deep south?" It is a proper noun so I believe South is capitalized but what about d/Deep ?
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2answers
631 views
What do you call someone from the Americas if not American? [closed]
Someone from Europe is European.
Someone from Africa is African.
Someone from Asia is Asian.
Someone from Oceania is presumably Oceanic.
But you can't call a person from the Americas an American due ...
6
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4answers
200 views
Is there a process name for an island becoming unisolated?
I previously asked this on the history stack exchange but unfortunately had no good luck, and I was recommended to give this stack exchange a go, so:
Basically I would like to know if there is an ...
4
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2answers
616 views
The definite article with geographical terms
I know in English you can use the definite article with geographical expressiones such as the sea, the country, the land, the city, the beach, the seaside, but what about other geographical terms? Can ...
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2answers
4k views
Should “global south” be capitalized?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North%E2%80%93South_divide
In a context such as,
The harsh realities as the result of the socioeconomic conditions plaguing the global south
Should it be "Global ...
15
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3answers
1k views
Why 'prefecture' for Japanese administration areas?
There are many ways of labeling the smaller administrative areas of a country: states. For the US, provinces for Canada, counties for Ireland for English speaking countries, and departments (or ...
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1answer
513 views
Is it wise to specify a country name in brackets when referring to foreign city in an official document
While writing a formal document in an English language, I would like to know whether it's wise to specify a country name in brackets when referring to foreign city in an official document. For example,...
9
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4answers
2k views
Term for all landmasses connected to Europe?
I'm looking for one phrase that refers to the entire landmass that makes Europe, Africa, and Asia without having to name each continent separately, much like how I can say the Americas to refer to ...
21
votes
14answers
2k views
Word for inlets of a mountain
Can the word inlet be used for mountains, too? I'm looking for a word that describes valleys that reach into the mountain, but don't go across it.
Here is a picture that tries to describe what I'm ...
7
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6answers
709 views
Expression for an abrupt change in height
Is there an expression for an abrupt change in height? I’m looking for a word for the edge of the change, like in the German word Geländekante.
1
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1answer
10k views
Why do the names of so many places end in -ia? [closed]
Many countries, continents, states, and cities have an English name ending in ‘-ia’:
India, Indonesia, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Asia, Alexandria, Philadelphia, California, …
What is ...
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2answers
1k views
Another word for “kisses” or “slightly touches” or “barely makes contact”
I'm specifically trying to find the perfect word for this phrase I'm adding to Wikipedia:
Oman's Musandam peninsula kisses the gulf at the Strait of Hormuz.
But kisses really isn't the right word. ...
5
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1answer
772 views
Why do we say “Eastern Europe” but “East Asia”?
My girlfriend, who is not a native English speaker, asked me this yesterday: why are some geographical regions prefixed with the nouns North, South, East and West, but others are prefixed with the ...
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1answer
97 views
Capitalisation of geographical entities in lists
I cannot seem to find an agreement on the proper capitalisation of geographical entities that use common nouns as part of their full name.
Specifically my example is:
...was found in the Pacific, ...
2
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2answers
1k views
Accepted way to abbreviate cities that have “Saint” in their name
My first question here, so I'm not sure if this OT or not, so please bare with me.
Background: I don't live in US. I'm working with some data that I'm pulling from Adwords. Sometimes, I'm getting a ...
3
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2answers
480 views
Do I so often encounter simple past for past participle (e.g., “I have went,” “what was did to her”) because of where I am or when?
Since moving to small-town northern Minnesota (USA) two dozen years back to teach English, I have noticed a lot of instances in spoken language where the simple past is used in lieu of the past ...
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3answers
124 views
How to phrase a worldwide location in English?
I have an online form where a user would usually submit a specific location in a field, e.g. Moscow, Berlin, New York, Paris. But sometimes there is no specific city location, for instance for a ...
4
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1answer
744 views
How should I parse the name of the UK? [closed]
I've grown up in the UK and always considered that it is a United Kingdom of four countries: the three countries on the island of Great Britain and the country/province1 of Northern Ireland. ...
5
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3answers
25k views
How should “Northern Europe” be capitalized?
Europe should obviously be capitalized, since it is a proper noun. Should the northern part of the example sentence "I was traveling through northern Europe." be capitalized?
In country names such as ...
10
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2answers
3k views
Why do we say County Durham?
In Ireland all the counties are expressed as 'County....' followed by the name, e.g. County Kerry, County Galway, County Clare etc. This equally applies to the six counties north of the border, County ...
1
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1answer
144 views
Capitalize “state?” [duplicate]
Do you capitalize the word "state" when saying, "In Washington State, individuals who are unemployed may apply for treatment through DSHS."
1
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3answers
21k views
Where in the world does “a lift” mean “a ride in the car”?
In the United States and Canada, when someone asks you for "a lift" or you offer "a lift", you are speaking about riding in a car with them.
However, in England and other places, a "lift" is an ...
3
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1answer
418 views
Do Australians say “down north”?
I noticed some maps from the southern hemisphere are "reversed" with the south pole on top.
Which makes me wonder, are there places in the southern hemisphere where the concept of "down" is presumed ...
2
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2answers
191 views
How do I refer to a geographical area outside Britain (use article or not)
I am not a native English speaker. In a scientific paper I'm writing, I refer to geographical areas in Belgium: Kempen, Hageland.
In Dutch, an article is used when referring to these areas: "in de ...
23
votes
2answers
19k views
Meaning of suffix '-sex' in 'Sussex, Middlesex' [closed]
I know that Sussex and Middlesex are in England. It looks to me as if there is a pattern in names.
What does the suffix -sex mean? Where does it come from?
2
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1answer
538 views
Adjective relating to Great Britain and Ireland
Is there an adjective meaning “from or pertaining to the British Isles” (or if you prefer “from Great Britain, Ireland or surrounding islands”, or “from the Atlantic Archipelago”, or whatever floats ...
2
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0answers
3k views
Where can I find a list of colloquial abbreviations for cities? [closed]
I'm seeking a list of commonly used abbreviations for US cities (and also European cities, but let's start with the US). When I say abbreviations, that could be anything from 2 letters or more that ...
3
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1answer
7k views
What are the associations of the word “Heights” in a city name? [closed]
There are lots of cities and other designations with the word "Heights" in the name. Does this refer to something specific? Is it a marketing tactic perhaps?
Examples:
Hacienda Heights
Sterling ...
6
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2answers
615 views
Are “Czech Republic” and “Chechnya” cognates?
Let me preface this question by saying that the Czech Republic and Chechnya are two different countries.
Are the two countries' names etymologically related, like Austria and Australia are?
...
