ST/ESA/STAT/SER.M/87 Department of Economic and Social Affairs Statistics Division Technical reference manual for the standardization of geographical names United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names United Nations New York, 2007 The Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat is a vital interface between global policies in the economic, social and environmental spheres and national action. The Department works in three main interlinked areas: (i) it compiles, generates and analyses a wide range of economic, social and environmental data and information on which Member States of the United Nations draw to review common problems and to take stock of policy options; (ii) it facilitates the negotiations of Member States in many intergovernmental bodies on joint courses of action to address ongoing or emerging global challenges; and (iii) it advises interested Governments on the ways and means of translating policy frameworks developed in United Nations conferences and summits into programmes at the country level and, through technical assistance, helps build national capacities. NOTE The designations employed and the presentation of material in the present publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The term “country” as used in the text of this publication also refers, as appropriate, to territories or areas. Symbols of United Nations documents are composed of capital letters combined with figures. ST/ESA/STAT/SER.M/87 UNITED NATIONS PUBLICATION Sales No. E.07.XVII.5 ISBN: 978-92-1-161500-5 Copyright © United Nations, 2007 All rights reserved Printed in United Nations, New York Technical reference manual for the standardization of geographical names Foreword In the late 1940s, the United Nations cartographic services, through the Economic and Social Council, sought expert advice on a standardized means of writing geographical names. The goal was to achieve clear communication through United Nations maps and documents, and thereby avoid ambiguity and confusion in spelling or name application. More than 50 years have now elapsed, with both the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names (UNGEGN) and the United Nations Conferences on the Standardization of Geographical Names pursuing the objectives of geographical names standardization across the world. During this period, the advances in digital technology have been enormous and have changed the way we function, but it remains a well-established fact that international standardization with regard to geographical names is based on the tenets of national standardization. In addition to encouraging the formation of national authorities, the members of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names have worked hard to facilitate and promote the work of such authorities. The creation of Group of Experts working groups to consider particular areas of common concern has been particularly significant in terms of addressing such issues as: romanization systems; toponymic data exchange and formats; country names; toponymic terminology; and training courses in toponymy. Some other working groups completed their work and, after reporting back to the Group of Experts, were disbanded. However, in the case of the first-mentioned working groups, efforts have been ongoing for many years and will no doubt continue for the foreseeable future. Considerable progress has been made in their areas of concern—for example, in the realm of standards and formats—in respect of providing guidance to those administering or using geographical names throughout the world. During 2002, the United Nations published the Glossary of Terms for the Standardization of Geographical Names,1 an outgrowth of the work of the Group of Experts Working Group on Toponymic Terminology. Later the same year, the Eighth United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names adopted resolution VIII/15,2 in which the Conference, inter alia, requested the United Nations Statistics Division to publish two manuals on Group of Experts-related material during the biennium 2004–2005. The first to be published, entitled Manual for the National Standardization of Geographical Names,3 was prepared under the auspices of the Working Group on Publicity and Funding and includes basic material useful for the Working Group on Training Courses in Toponymy. The second publication is the present reference manual, which focuses on the more technical aspects of geographical names standardization. The contents of this manual are primarily the results of the efforts of three Group of Experts Working Groups: on Romanization Systems; on Country Names; and on Toponymic Data Files and Gazetteers (with its companion, the Working Group on Toponymic Data Exchange Formats and Standards which was active from 1996 to 1998 specifically for the 1 United Nations publication, Sales No. M.01.XVII.7. 2 See the report of the Eighth United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names, Berlin, 27 August–5 September 2002 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.03.I.14), chap. III. 3 United Nations publication, Sales No. E.06.XVII.7. iii Foreword purpose of documenting toponymic data standards). Grateful thanks are expressed to the dedicated UNGEGN experts who compiled the material and toiled over the details to ensure their accuracy. Special acknowledgement is extended to the convenors of the working groups for coordinating the endeavours of those specialists and for ensuring that the texts were suitable for publication. They are: • Peeter Päll (Estonia)...................................................Romanization Systems • Randall Flynn (United States of America).................Toponymic Data Files and Gazetteers • Roger Marsden (United Kingdom of.........................Toponymic Data Exchange Formats Great Britain and Northern Ireland)........................ and Standards • Sylvie Lejeune (France).............................................Country Names and, recently, Leo Dillon (United States) In addition, crucial input into the publication, and ongoing assistance in resolving outstanding problems, were provided by Paul Woodman and Caroline Burgess (United Kingdom). With the continuous expansion of technical capabilities and communication media, authoritative geographical names are sought for accurate reporting, geo-referencing and inclusion in geographical information systems. In our increasingly knowledge-seeking and media-aware world, it is important for the Group of Experts to work hand in hand with other organizations that also address issues of technical standards. During the past few years, these UNGEGN working groups have formed liaisons with relevant committees of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and with the Unicode Consortium. Such channels for the exchange of ideas and information should prove to be of mutual benefit. We trust that this technical reference manual will be a source of useful information for those who deal with the many questions pertaining to geographical names and data standards. Helen Kerfoot Chair, United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names 2006 iv Technical reference manual for the standardization of geographical names Overview The Technical Reference Manual for the Standardization of Geographical Names is divided into three parts, presenting users with three distinct types of information. Part one: Romanization systems for geographical names Over the years many methods have been devised to convert non-Roman writing systems to the Roman alphabetic script. Aside from the fact that they may be unscientific, the wide variety of approaches have led to considerable difficulties in respect of communication. The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names Working Group on Romanization Systems has had the important task of recommending to the Group of Experts and to the United Nations Conferences on the Standardization of Geographical Names, single systems of romanization, based on scientific principles, for each of the languages using non-Roman scripts. In part one of the Manual, romanization systems are presented for 28 languages/scripts recommended by the United Nations and 17 that are still under discussion. Work on this aspect of international standardization continues for other non-Roman languages. The Working Group on Romanization Systems maintains a website that can be consulted for updates to this information. The web address is http://www.eki.ee/wgrs/. Part two: Toponymic data transfer standards and formats The creation of toponymic databases and the dissemination of the information through gazetteers—printed or digital—are considered fundamental to the operation of national geographical names standardization programmes. Promotion of consistency in developing and maintaining data fields and in the representation of the data in gazetteers is important. In recent years, the question of toponymic standards for character set encoding and data exchange formats has been a subject of study by the Group of Experts. The report of the Group of Experts Working Group on Toponymic Data Exchange Formats and Standards (document E/CONF.91/CRP.11) was presented to the Seventh United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names in New York in 1998. Part two of