1. the definite article
1.1. names of states including such common nouns as union, kingdom, states, dominion, federation, republic, lands
1.1.1. the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom
1.2. abbreviations
1.2.1. the USSR, the USA, the UK
1.3. names of some regions
1.3.1. the Antarctic, the Crimea, the Caucasus
1.4. names of oceans, seas, channels, canals, falls, rivers and lakes
1.4.1. the Pacific (ocean), the Adriatic (sea), the English Channel, the Panama Canal, the Volga, the Baikal
1.5. names of mountain chains and groups of islands
1.5.1. the Himalayas, the Alps, the British Isles, the Philippines, the Canaries, the Kuriles
1.6. if the word “peninsula” itself is used
1.6.1. the Balkan Peninsula, the Kola Peninsula, the Scandinavian Peninsula
1.7. names of deserts
1.7.1. the Sahara Desert, the Gobi, the Kara-Kum, the Kalahari
1.8. when there is a limiting attribute
1.8.1. The Russia of the 21st century will be very different from the Russia of the 20th century
1.9. if a geographic name is in the plural
1.9.1. The two Americas have a great variety of climatic zones
1.10. in the combinations of the type
1.10.1. the City of New York, the Cape of Good Hope
2. the indefinite article
2.1. when there is a descriptive attribute, or if it is implied
2.1.1. It was a new Russia that he found on his return.
3. without any articles
3.1. when names of lakes are preceded by the noun lake
3.1.1. Lake Baikal, Lake Ontario, Lake Erie
3.2. names of streets, parts of the city, squares, parks
3.2.1. Tverskaya Street, Pennsylvania Avenue, Trafalgar Square, Sokolniki Park
3.3. countries named after the corresponding regions
3.3.1. the Sudan — Sudan the Yemen — Yemen
3.4. names of continents, countries, regions, cities, towns and villages
3.4.1. Australia, Europe, Russia
3.5. nouns having such attributes as north(ern), south(ern), ancient, old, central
3.5.1. North America, Southern France
3.6. names of streets modified by ordinal numerals
3.6.1. 42nd Street, Fifty Eighth Street
3.7. names of separate mountain peaks and separate islands
3.7.1. Etna, Vesuvius, Elbrus, Everest, Cuba, Cyprus, Haiti, Fair Isle, Madagascar, Barbados, Bermuda
3.8. names of bays and peninsulas
3.8.1. Hudson Bay, Mexican Bay, Kamchatka, Scandinavia, Taimir
3.9. names of stations, airports and bridges
3.9.1. Victoria Station, Gatwick, Vnukovo Airport, Tower Bridge, London Bridge