capitalization: geographical terms

Capitalize the names of countries, regions, counties, cities and other official and specified political, administrative and geographical divisions and topographical features:

• El Salvador
• the Northern Hemisphere
• the International Boundary
• the Prairies
• the Canadian Shield
• the Maritimes
• the Atlantic provinces
• the Ontario Region (sector of government department)
• the Crow’s Nest Pass
• the Grassy Narrows Reserve
• the Pacific
• Lanark County
• Sherbrooke
• Pickle Lake
• Elm Street West
• the Okanagan Valley
• the South Saskatchewan River
• the Northwest Territories

Generic terms

Capitalize a generic term when it is an accepted short form of the proper noun:

• the Continent
• the States

Do not capitalize a generic term such as city, county, state or province when it precedes the proper noun or stands alone, unless it is used in a corporate sense:

• She lives in the city of Regina. (place)
• I have travelled all over the province of Ontario. (place)
• The states of Switzerland are called cantons.

but

• Buy Province of Ontario bonds. (provincial government)
• The City of Regina took him to court. (municipal government)
• The State of New York has revamped its social assistance programs. (state government)

Do not capitalize a generic term used in the plural unless it is part of a geographical name:

• lakes Huron and Ontario
• the Thompson and Fraser rivers

but

• the Rocky Mountains
• the South Seas

© Services publics et Approvisionnement Canada, 2024
TERMIUM Plus^®, la banque de données terminologiques et linguistiques du gouvernement du Canada
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