The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is a US Federal body whose purpose is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geographic names throughout the Federal Government.
The Board was created in 1890; its present form derives from a law of 1947. The Board has developed principles, policies, and procedures governing the use of both domestic and foreign geographic names. It also deals with the names of geographical features underseas and in Antarctica.
Although its official purpose is to resolve name problems and new name proposals for the federal government, the Board also plays a similar role for the general public. Any person or organization, public or private, may make inquiries or request the Board to render formal decisions on proposed new names, proposed name changes, or names that are in conflict.
External link
Official BGN website (http://geonames.usgs.gov/bgn.html), from which information for this page was drawn.
The United States Board on GeographicNames (BGN) is an American federal body whose purpose is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geographicnames throughout the U.S. government.
The Board was created in 1890; its present form derives from a law of 1947.
The Board has developed principles, policies, and procedures governing the use of both domestic and foreign geographicnames.
Naming is a basic human tendency; just as a name helps to create a distinct identity for an individual, a geographicname helps distinguish one place from another.
Naminggeographic features after individuals is one way that settlers marked the land; one way they signified that their lives on it and their contributions to it were important.
To justify adoption of the name by the Board, the person or family being honored should have been directly associated with the feature being named or have made a significant contribution to the area of the feature or the State in which it is located.
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