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I can't find a general textbook or a thread on internet with grammar rules for word order regarding the names of Geographical places, for example:

  • Mount Everest vs Rocky Mount
  • River Nile vs Colorado river
  • Lake Garda vs Garda Lake

When is the name put before? When after? Are there general rules or do they have to be memorized? If there aren't any rules - why not? How do you decide when to put the name in front of the place or viceversa?

Richard Dylan
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    The following question is about rivers but touches on mountains. Does this answer your question? When to put "River" before or after its name and why? - basically there are rules but also lots of exceptions. – Stuart F Aug 24 '21 at 12:56
  • You'll find that many of these variations are regional (i.e., not universal across the English-speaking world) but even within regions, usage is inconsistent. For example, in New York State, most lakes are written with the proper name first: Oneida Lake, Seneca Lake, Cayuga Lake, etc. But the largest lake in the state is Lake Ontario, which is always written with the proper name second. – Canadian Yankee Aug 24 '21 at 13:29
  • This doesn't help me. – Richard Dylan Aug 24 '21 at 13:33
  • The point is that there isn't a broadly-applicable rule, any more than there is a rule why a particular river is named "Colorado" instead of "Arizona" (since it goes through both of those states). Just think of "Colorado River" as the full proper name that must be learned by rote. – Canadian Yankee Aug 24 '21 at 14:31

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