When to omit the

streets, squares, parks

Ivy Street, Union Square, Denali National Park

cities, states, counties

Miami, New Mexico, Bee County

most countries, continents

Italy, Nigeria, China, South America, Africa

bays, single lakes

Tampa Bay, Lake Geneva

single mountains, islands

Mount Everst, Crete

When to use the

country names with of phrase

the United States (of America), the People’s Republic of China

large regions, deserts

the East Coast, the Sahara

peninsulas

the Iberian Peninsula, the Sinai Peninsula

oceans, seas, gulfs

the Pacific Ocean, the Dead Sea, the Persian Gulf

canals and rivers

the Panama Canal, the Amazon

mountain ranges

the Rocky Mountains, the Alps

groups of islands

the Solomon Islands