U.S. flag
        An official website of the United States government
          Here’s how you know
        Here’s how you know **Official websites use .mil**
              A **.mil** website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization.
 **Secure .mil websites use HTTPS**
              A **lock** (A locked padlock) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.




Menu


close site.logo-mark-desc
 Home
          
        AboutAbout UsNGA LocationsHistoryMissionStrategyNGA KidsPolicies and ProgramsNext NGA WestNewsNewsContract Announcements2023 Industry Strategy Summit2023 DoDIIS Worldwide Conference2024 Esri Federal GIS Conference2024 GEO Resilience SummitCareersYour CareerHiring ProcessBenefits & PayStudent OpportunitiesSenior Executive PositionsMilitary Career OpportunitiesWork With UsIndustryAcademiaGovernmentInternationalWork With UsResourcesOffice of the Inspector GeneralProducts & ServicesMoonshot LabsPublic ReleaseContact Us Facilities Operating Status
          Employee Resources Search small
        Search Site


U.S. Board on Geographic Names


Home
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
						
							
							
							Resources
								
							
						
					
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				
				U.S. Board on Geographic Names...


The U.S. Board on Geographic Names was established in 1890 by President Benjamin Harrison and reestablished in its present form in 1947 by Congress to standardize geographic name spellings throughout the federal government. The Board's work is primarily carried out by the Domestic Names Committee and the Foreign Names Committee. NGA provides secretariat support to the FNC. FNC membership includes the Central Intelligence Agency, Departments of Defense, Department of State and the Library of Congress. The Geographic Names Server provides access to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency's and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names' database of foreign geographic feature names. The database is the official repository of foreign place-name decisions approved by the BGN. Geographic Area of Coverage: Worldwide excluding the United States and Antarctica. For names in the U.S. and Antarctica, please visit the United States Geological Survey or Geographic Names Information System web sites. The data served by GNS is in a geographic coordinate system based on the WGS84 datum and ellipsoid. Geographic coordinates are approximate and are intended for finding purposes. The online database is updated weekly. There are no licensing requirements or restrictions in place for the use of the GNS data. However, we recommend using the following citation to identify the GNS as a source: Toponymic information is based on the Geographic Names Data Base, containing official standard names approved by the United States Board on Geographic Names and maintained by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. NGA's name, initials, and seal are protected by 10 United States Code Section 425. A CD-ROM digital gazetteer is available for domestic geographic names. Hardcopy gazetteers covering foreign areas, researched by the FNC staff, may be purchased through USGS. A booklet describing the BGN's romanization systems for 29 non-Roman writing systems is also available. Product Search Sites **Romanization Systems** URL: https://geonames.nga.mil/geonames/GNSHome/reference.html#bgnroman Contains all of the romanization systems and Roman-script spelling conventions that are currently approved by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) and its U.K. counterpart, the Permanent Committee on Geographical Names (PCGN). Additional Information and Resources **U.S. Board on Geographic Names** URL: http://geonames.usgs.gov Official U.S. Board on Geographic Names Home Page **United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names Working Group on Romanization Systems** URL: http://www.eki.ee/wgrs/ Information on other transliteration systems for toponyms.
 Resources
 U.S. Board on Geographic Names GNS Homepage GNS Services GNS Search App GNS Downloadable Files





Home
              HomeAbout
							  About UsNGA LocationsHistoryMissionStrategyNGA KidsPolicies and ProgramsNext NGA WestNews
							  NewsContract Announcements2023 Industry Strategy Summit2023 DoDIIS Worldwide Conference2024 Esri Federal GIS Conference2024 GEO Resilience SummitCareers
							  Your CareerHiring ProcessBenefits & PayStudent OpportunitiesSenior Executive PositionsMilitary Career OpportunitiesWork With Us
							  IndustryAcademiaGovernmentInternationalWork With UsResources
							  Office of the Inspector GeneralProducts & ServicesMoonshot LabsPublic ReleaseContact Us
							  Contact Us
 Connect With Us


nga.mil
          An official website of the
            National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
          7500 GEOINT DriveSpringfield, VA 22150 About NGAAccessibility supportFOIA requestsNo FEAR Act dataOffice of the Inspector GeneralPerformance reportsPrivacy policyPrivacy program Looking for U.S. government information and services?
        Visit USA.govLast Site Build: 2024-04-19 07:09 UTC