A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for
navigation, a feature that stands out from its near environment and is often visible from long distances.
In modern use, the term can also be applied to smaller structures or features, that have become local or
national symbols.
Etymology
In old English the word ''landmearc'' (from ''land'' + ''mearc'' (mark)) was used to describe a
boundary marker, an "object set up to mark the boundaries of a kingdom, estate, etc.". Starting from approx. 1560, this understanding of landmark was replaced by a more general one. A landmark became a "conspicuous object in a landscape".
A ''landmark'' literally meant a
geographic feature used by
explorers and others to find their way back or through an area. For example, the
Table Mountain near
Cape Town,
South Africa is used as the landmark to help sailors to navigate around southern tip of
Africa during the
Age of Exploration. Artificial structures are also sometimes built to assist sailors in naval navigation. The
Lighthouse of Alexandria and
Colossus of Rhodes
The Colossus of Rhodes ( grc, ὁ Κολοσσὸς Ῥόδιος, ho Kolossòs Rhódios gr, Κολοσσός της Ρόδου, Kolossós tes Rhódou) was a statue of the Greek sun-god Helios, erected in the city of Rhodes (city), Rhodes, on ...
are ancient structures built to lead ships to the port.
In modern usage, a landmark includes anything that is easily recognizable, such as a
monument,
building, or other
structure
A structure is an arrangement and organization of interrelated elements in a material object or system, or the object or system so organized. Material structures include man-made objects such as buildings and machines and natural objects such as ...
. In
American English
American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of variety (linguistics), varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the Languages of the United States, most widely spoken lan ...
it is the main term used to designate places that might be of interest to
tourists due to notable physical features or historical significance. Landmarks in the
British English sense are often used for casual
navigation, such as giving directions. This is done in American English as well.
In
urban studies
Urban studies is based on the study of the urban development of cities. This includes studying the history of city development from an architectural point of view, to the impact of urban design on community development efforts. The core theoretica ...
as well as in
geography, a landmark is furthermore defined as an external point of reference that helps orienting in a familiar or unfamiliar environment.
[Lynch, Kevin. "The image of the city". MIT Press, 1960, p. 48] Landmarks are often used in verbal route instructions and as such an object of study by
linguists as well as in other no fields of study.
Types
Landmarks are usually classified as either natural landmarks or man-made landmarks, both are originally used to support navigation on finding directions. A variant is a ''
seamark'' or ''
daymark'', a structure usually built intentionally to aid sailors navigating featureless coasts.
Natural
Natural landmarks can be characteristic features, such as
mountains or
plateaus. Examples of natural landmarks are Table Mountain in South Africa,
Mount Ararat in Turkey,
Uluru in Australia,
Mount Fuji
, or Fugaku, located on the island of Honshū, is the highest mountain in Japan, with a summit elevation of . It is the second-highest volcano located on an island in Asia (after Mount Kerinci on the island of Sumatra), and seventh-highest p ...
in Japan and
Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon (, yuf-x-yav, Wi:kaʼi:la, , Southern Paiute language: Paxa’uipi, ) is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is long, up to wide and attains a depth of over a m ...
in the United States. Trees might also serve as local landmarks, such as jubilee oaks or
conifer
Conifers are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single ...
s. Some landmark trees may be nicknamed, examples being ''Queen's Oak'', ''Hanging Oak'' or ''Centennial Tree''.
Human made
In modern sense, landmarks are usually referred to as
monuments or prominent distinctive buildings, used as the symbol of a certain area, city, or
nation. Some examples include the ''
Statue of Unity'' in
Narmada, the
White House in
Washington, D.C., the
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; French: ''La Liberté éclairant le monde'') is a List of colossal sculpture in situ, colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor in New York City, in the U ...
in
New York City, the
Eiffel Tower in
Paris, the
Lotte World Tower in
Seoul, the
Colosseum in
Rome,
Big Ben
Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the Great Clock of Westminster, at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, England, and the name is frequently extended to refer also to the clock and the clock tower. The officia ...
in
London, the
Tsūtenkaku
, owned by , is a tower and well-known landmark of Osaka, Japan and advertises Hitachi. It is located in the Shinsekai district of Naniwa-ku, Osaka. Its total height is 103 m; the main observation deck is at a height of 91 m.
History
The cu ...
in
Osaka, ''
Christ the Redeemer'' in
Rio de Janeiro,
Bratislava Castle in
Bratislava
Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approxim ...
, the
Space Needle in
Seattle, the
Sydney Harbour Bridge or the
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...
(both in
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
), the
Brandenburg Gate
The Brandenburg Gate (german: Brandenburger Tor ) is an 18th-century neoclassical monument in Berlin, built on the orders of Prussian king Frederick William II after restoring the Orangist power by suppressing the Dutch popular unrest. One ...
in
Berlin, the
Château Frontenac in
Quebec (city),
Place Stanislas
Place Stanislas is a large pedestrianised square in the French city of Nancy, in the Lorraine historic region. Built between 1752 and 1756 on the orders of Stanisław Leszczyński, the square is one of oldest examples of an architecturally consis ...
in
Nancy, the
CN Tower in
Toronto, or
Palace of Culture and Science
A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...
in
Warsaw.
Church spires and
mosque's
minaret
A minaret (; ar, منارة, translit=manāra, or ar, مِئْذَنة, translit=miʾḏana, links=no; tr, minare; fa, گلدسته, translit=goldaste) is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generall ...
s are often very tall and visible from many miles around, thus often serve as built landmarks. Also
town hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...
towers and
belfries often have a landmark character.
See also
*
Boundary marker
*
Contemporary history
Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from approximately 1945 to the present. Contemporary history is either a subset of the late modern period, or it is ...
*
Cultural heritage management
Cultural heritage management (CHM) is the vocation and practice of managing cultural heritage. It is a branch of cultural resources management (CRM), although it also draws on the practices of cultural conservation, restoration, museology, archae ...
*
Cultural heritage tourism
*
National landmark (disambiguation) A National landmark may refer to:
Canada
* National Landmarks (Canada)
Saint Lucia
*National Landmark, a type of protected area managed by the Saint Lucia National Trust
United States
*National Historic Landmark
*National Natural Landmark
*Nation ...
*
National symbol
References
External links
{{Authority control
Navigational markers
Geography terminology