United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names

Working Groups   Toponymic Terminology

Working Group on Toponymic Terminology


Convenor

Trent Palmer (United States), E-mail palmertc@state.gov

Background

The Working Group on Toponymic Terminology (WG TT) was established by the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names (UNGEGN) at its 14th session in Geneva in May 1989. In 2002, the Glossary of Terms for the Standardization of Geographical Names, including 375 terms and their definitions in the six official UN languages, was published in one combined volume with appropriate cross-referencing. At the ninth UNCSGN in New York (2007) an Addendum with a total of 23 entries was ratified and approved for insertion in the Glossary. The revised Glossary (that includes the Addendum as a separate Annex) is available for download on the UNGEGN Publications page. An online database of toponymic terminology http://ortsnamen.at/ungegn_glossary/


Work programme
  • The Glossary of Terms for the Standardization of Geographical Names (2002) plus changes approved since that time have been incorporated into an online toponymic terminology database (http://ortsnamen.at/en/ungegn_glossary/). Additionally, the periodic review and update of the existing set of terminology continues, in accordance with resolution VIII/3 (2002).
    • Publication
  • The United Nations published the Glossary of Terms for the Standardization of Geographical Names in 2002. The revised Glossary, which includes an addendum approved in 2007, presents the terms and definition in all six languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish) combined in one volume with appropriate cross-referencing.
  • The hard copy edition of the Glossary is no longer available for purchase. The text can be accessed as a .pdf document on the UNGEGN Publications page (https://unstats.un.org/unsd/ungegn/pubs/) or here
  • Please note that in the PDF version of the Glossary, the 2007 addendum appears at the end of the document. Additionally, please be aware that the Glossary publication has been superseded by its database form at: http://ortsnamen.at/en/ungegn_glossary/.
    • Meetings
  • The working group most recently met during the 2023 UNGEGN session in New York.
  • The working group held a joint meeting with the Working Group on Exonyms from 31 August to 2 September in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
  • The working group met during the 2019 UNGEGN session in New York.

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