An ontology of geographic kinds is designed to yield a better understanding of the ~tructure. of the geographic world, and to support the development of geographic mformat10n systems that are conceptually sound. This paper first demonstrates th~t geograp~cal obje~ts and kinds are not just larger versions of the everyday objects and kinds prev10usly studied in cognitive science. Geographic objects are not merely located in space, as are the manipulable objects of table-top space. Rather,.they ar ~ tied intrinsically to space, and this means.that their spatial boundanes are m many cases the most salient features for categorization. The ontology presented here will accordingly be based on topology (the theory of boundary, contact and separation) and on mereology (the theory of extended wh?les and part~). Geographic reality comprehendsmesoscopic entities, many of which are best viewed as shadows cast onto the spatial plane by human reasoning and language.. Because of this, geographic categories are much more likely to show cultural differences in category definitions than are the manipulable objects of table-top space.
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