National Names Authorities
The concept of national standardization of geographical names is at the heart of UNGEGN. A national geographical names authority or institution is desirable for an effective national standardization programme and allows for accurate and efficient administration and clear communication. This in turn enables the promotion and use of the nationally standardized names internationally on maps and documents.
The Manual for the National Standardization of Geographical Names provides countries who are interested with a framework of measures to standardize their nation's geographical names.
Summary World Map of Names Authorities
(click on map to enlarge)
Useful reference documents
(examples from national names authorities)
Overview-names authorities and procedures for naming
Legislation for a names authority
- Canada, Order in Council - Canada, Décret en conseil
- New Zealand Geographic Board (Nga Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa) Act, 2008
- Tunisie, Décret du 2013 - Arabic version
Policies, principles and procedures for geographical naming
- Argentina, Principios y directrices
- Canada, Principles and procedures - Canada, Principes et directives
- Indonesia, Principles, Policies and Procedures
- USA, Principles, Policies and Procedures: Domestic Geographic Names
Place names acts
Information publicizing the work of names authorities
Manual of names authorities
- The Manual for the National Standardization of Geographical Names provides countries who are interested with a framework of measures to standardize their nation's geographical names.
Annual reports of names authorities
Forms for public submission of names
- Argentina, propuesta de nuevo nombre geográfico y propuesta de cambio de nombre
- Denmark names collection form: blank form (English translation) - Denmark names collection form: completed form (in Danish)
- New Zealand places and features
- New Zealand guiding notes for places and features
- New Zealand undersea features
- New Zealand guiding notes for undersea features
Presentations (National Names Authorities)
Meeting of toponymy authorities, 6 September 2011, at ICOS XIV, Barcelona, Spain
- Welcome (Yvonne Griley)
- Introduction (Helen Kerfoot)
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National committees - centralized
- Estonia (Peeter Päll)
- Republic of Korea (Sungjae Choo)
- National/regional committees
-
Input of language specialists
- Norway (Botolv Helleland)
-
Country without a geographical names authority
- Netherlands (Ferjan Ormeling)
- Concluding remarks (Helen Kerfoot)
- Words of thanks (Yvonne Griley)
Short UNGEGN lunch-time presentation, GGIM High Level Forum, Seoul, October 24-26, 2011
- UNGEGN - what, why, how and relevance to GGIM
- Le GENUNG et la normalisation des noms géographiques en Afrique
- UNGEGN Geographical Names Database
- UNGEGN - names and mapping / GIS
- UNGEGN - cultural connections
- EuroGeoNames - data network
- UNGEGN - national names authorities and GGIM
- UNGEGN - example of a national names authority
- UNGEGN - other administrative approaches for geographical names