Cape York Peninsula

6.5

A large peninsula in northern Queensland between the Gulf of Carpentaria and the Coral Sea

proper noun

: Península de Cabo York

The remote communities of the Cape York Peninsula rely on air transport during the rainy season.

Examples

Many species unique to Australia can be found in the rainforests of the Cape York Peninsula.
Exploring the Cape York Peninsula offers stunning landscapes and a rich indigenous heritage.
The Cape York Peninsula is known for its stunning landscapes.
Have you ever visited the Cape York Peninsula?
Many species unique to Australia can be found in the rainforests of the Cape York Peninsula.
Exploring the Cape York Peninsula offers stunning landscapes and a rich indigenous heritage.
The remote communities of the Cape York Peninsula rely on air transport during the rainy season.

Surface Forms

Cape York Peninsula main

Morphology

cape + York + peninsula

The constituents 'cape' and 'peninsula' transparently describe a landform projecting into water, and 'York' functions as a place-name label; a B1 learner who knows these words can infer this refers to a peninsula called Cape York. As a toponymial description rather than an idiomatic phrase, its meaning is compositional and not metaphorical or culture-specific.

Etymology

The place name Cape York Peninsula comes from the cape at the tip of Australia called Cape York, a name early British explorers gave using the royal title 'York'. The word peninsula means 'a piece of land that sticks out into the sea', so the name points to that famous cape and the long land between two seas.