Originally, a landmark literally meant a geographic feature used by explorers and others to find their way back or through an area.

In modern usage, it includes anything that is easily recognizable, such as a monument, building, or other structure. In American English 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.

A variant is a seamark or daymark, a structure usually built intentionally to aid sailors navigating featureless coasts. An example is the tower at Walton-on-the-Naze in England.

Links to landmarks around the world

Landmarks may be split into two categories: natural phenomena (physical features such as waterfalls and mountains) and man-made features, like buildings, bridges, statues, public squares, and so forth.

Natural phenomena

• Cotton Tree, Freetown, Sierra Leone
• Uluru, Northern Territory, Australia
• Stone Mountain, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
• Giants Causeway, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
• Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa
• The Twelve Apostles (Victoria), Victoria, Australia
• Great Barrier Reef, Coral Sea, Queensland, Australia
• Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA
• Niagara Falls, Ontario/New York, Canada/USA /
• Victoria Falls, Zambia/Zimbabwe /
• Angel Falls, Canaima National Park, Gran Sabana, Bolivar State, Venezuela
• Mount Everest, Himalayas, Nepal/China /