United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names

The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names (UNGEGN) promotes the standardization of geographical names at the national and international levels. Standardized geographical names are essential for clear communication, legal and administrative purposes, reliable identification of places, navigation, mapping, data integration and the delivery of public services.

UNGEGN supports Member States in establishing principles, policies and methods for the national standardization of geographical names. Its goal is for every country to determine and maintain its own nationally standardized names, either through a national names authority or through recognized administrative processes. In doing so, UNGEGN encourages the recording and use of locally used names that reflect the languages, cultures and traditions of each country.

The wider dissemination of nationally standardized names — through gazetteers, atlases, web-based databases, toponymic guidelines and other authoritative resources — enables their consistent use internationally. For geographical names written in non-Roman scripts, UNGEGN promotes the adoption and use of a single scientifically based romanization system for each script or language.

Through its biennial sessions, UNGEGN assists Member States in strengthening national names authorities, promoting the use of standardized geographical names, supporting multilingual and culturally informed naming practices, and improving the availability and use of authoritative geographical names information.

Between its formal sessions, UNGEGN carries out its work through 24 geographical and linguistic divisions and through its working groups, which address issues including training and capacity building, geographical names data management, romanization systems, country names, terminology, publicity and funding, and toponymic guidelines

Fact Sheet: What is UNGEGN? Arabic | Chinese | English | French | Russian | Spanish

Fact Sheet: What are UNGEGN’s Divisions? Arabic | Chinese | English | French | Russian | Spanish

Arabic ( 1967 - 2017 )

English ( 1967 - 2017 )

French ( 1967 - 2017 )

Korean ( 1967 - 2017 )

Spanish ( 1967 - 2012 )

Portuguese ( 1967 - 2017 )

Database search : Arabic | English | French | Korean | Spanish

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