The Geography of Canada - practice with articles the/a - Fill in the blanks with the appropriate article. If no article is required, put an x.

Gap-fill exercise

Fill in all the gaps, then press "Check" to check your answers. Use the "Hint" button to get a free letter if an answer is giving you trouble. You can also click on the "[?]" button to get a clue. Note that you will lose points if you ask for hints or clues!

Articles and Geography

a) The following require the definite article "the"

rivers - the Amazon River
mountain ranges - the Himalayas
bridges - the Golden Gate Bridge
oceans - the Indian Ocean
seas - the Mediterranean Sea
some countries - the People's Republic of China (countries whose names include nouns or adjectives)

b) The following do not require an article

cities - Seoul
provinces or states - Manitoba / Texas
streets - Douglas Street
lakes - Lake Titicaca
mountains - Mount Fuji
islands - Saltspring Island
waterfalls - Victoria Falls
parks - Central Park
some countries - China (countries whose names do not include nouns or adjectives)

c) Any of the above require an article if they are used as an adjective

the London music scene
the Bank Street crowd
the Beacon Hill Park Jazz Festival
the Mount Washington ski conditions
Canada is very large country, largest country in world. Only Russia is bigger. Canada is about 7,560 kilometres wide from Victoria, B.C. to St. John's, Newfoundland. Canada is bounded by three oceans, Pacific Ocean in west, Arctic Ocean in north and Atlantic Ocean in east.

Canada has many large lakes and rivers. Lake Superior in Ontario is largest lake in world. longest river in Canada is Mackenzie River, but St. Lawrence River is probably most important. Of course, Niagara River is famous because it includes Niagara Falls.

geography of Canada varies greatly. In west, Rocky Mountains are very high and rugged. Laurentian Mountains in east are not as high and are more rolling. highest mountain in Canada is Mount Logan. Grouse Mountain and Whistler are popular places for skiing in or near Vancouver area.

capital city of Canada is Ottawa, but largest city is Toronto. Yonge Street in Toronto is longest street in world. three largest cities are Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. most northernly settlement in world is located at Alert on Ellesmere Island. In contrast, city of Victoria on Vancouver Island is actually south of American border.