science

United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names

United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names rather than just read about it. In short: The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names (UNGEGN) is one of the nine expert groups of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and deals with the national and international standardization of geographical names. Every five years it holds the UNGEGN conference.

Key takeaways

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Reference excerpt

The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names (UNGEGN) is one of the nine expert groups of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and deals with the national and international standardization of geographical names. Every five years it holds the UNGEGN conference. The UNGEGN also publishes international guidelines.

History The question of standardizing geographical names was raised by the United Nations Cartographic Section of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in the late 1940s. After discussions in the 1950s and ECOSOC resolution 715A (XXVII) of 1959, the first meeting of a group of experts was convened in New York City in 1960. This group recommended that a UN Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names be held. In 1967 this took place in Geneva, with the confirmation that national standardization should be the basis of international standardization.

Mandate and tasks The remit of UNGEGN is to deal with the problems of domestic and international standardization of geographical names, and to offer suggestions and recommendations for (mainly linguistic) standardization. Being one of the seven expert groups of the United Nations Economic and Social Council, UNGEGN is mandated to follow up on the implementation of resolutions and to continue activities between the United Nations Conferences on the Standardization of Geographical Names held every five years. UNGEGN aims to emphasize the importance of the standardization of geographical names at the national and international levels, to show the benefits of this, and to assist countries in standardization of geographical names where it is lacking. Furthermore, UNGEGN facilitates and encourages the discussion of the results of work on national standardization and arising issues, the dissemination of best practices, and a wide user community awareness of nationally authorized geographical names.

Structure UNGEGN reports to the UN Conferences on the Standardization of Geographical Names held at five-yearly intervals. It is supported by a Secretariat provided by the United Nations Statistics Division, and its Bureau. UNGEGN meets formally on two occasions between Conferences and works on names standardization through Working Groups and Special task teams, as well as through Divisions. These so-called Divisions are groups of countries with common interests based on geography and/or language. To interact with other scientific organizations, UNGEGN has appointed a number of liaison officers.

Bureau The UNGEGN Bureau consists of a Chair, two Vice-Chairs and two Rapporteurs. The current Bureau is composed as follows:

Chair: Pierre Jaillard (France) Vice-Chairs: Sungjae Choo (Republic of Korea), Hasanuddin Abidin (Indonesia) Rapporteurs: Trent C. Palmer (USA), Wendy Shaw (New Zealand) Former chairpersons:

Meredith F. Burrill (USA, 1967–1977) Josef Breu (Austria, 1977–1982) Dirk Peter Blok (Netherlands, 1982–1987) Henri Dorion (Canada, 1987–1991) Peter E. Raper (South Africa, 1991–2002) Helen Kerfoot (Canada, 2002–2012) William Watt (Australia, 2012-2019)

Divisions UNGEGN is composed of experts from various linguistic/geographical divisions that have been established by the UN Conferences on the Standardization of Geographical Names. Countries decide for themselves the division(s) to which they wish to belong; some belong to more than one division. A division chair is selected within a division and he/she is encouraged to stimulate activities in the standardization of geographical names within the division, through technical meetings, correspondence, etc. Currently, there are 24 divisions that guide the work of UNGEGN during and between its sessions:

Africa Central Division Africa East Division Africa South Division Africa West Division Arabic Division Asia East Division (other than China) Asia South-East Division Asia South-West Division (other than Arabic) Baltic Division Celtic Division China Division Dutch- and German-speaking Division East Central and South-East Europe Division Eastern Europe, Northern and Central Asia Division East Mediterranean Division (other than Arabic) French-speaking Division India Division Latin America Division Norden Division Pacific South-West Division Portuguese-speaking Division Romano-Hellenic Division United Kingdom Division USA/Canada Division

Working Groups Under the umbrella of UNGEGN, several Working Groups have been created to follow up topics and issues which cut across the Divisional structure of UNGEGN. In addition, UNGEGN has a Task Team for Africa and coordinates the work of countries in developing their toponymic guidelines. Currently there are 9 UNGEGN Working Groups:

Working Group on Country Names Working Group on Geographical Names Data Management (until 2021 as Working Group on Toponymic Data Files and Gazetteers) Working Group on Toponymic Terminology Working Group on Publicity and Funding Working Group on Romanization Systems Working Group on Training Courses in Toponymy Working Group on Evaluation and Implementation Working Group on Exonyms Working Group on Geographical Names as Cultural Heritage The former Working Group on Pronunciation was disbanded in 2017.

Conference The United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names is a periodic international conference organised by the United Nations Statistical Commission, the central purpose of which is to facilitate the standardization of national geographical names. The purpose of the Conference is not to settle political disputes between states on the use (or non-use) of particular geographical names. The conference takes place every five years at United Nations Headquarters in New York City. It can be conducted at a different location, if a country offers to host the conference and to pay the additional costs of hosting the conference away from UN HQ. Each country may send a delegation. Members of these delegations are mainly experts on geographical names from their respective countries. The most recent conference, the 11th, was held in New York in August 2017.

Toponymic guidelines Toponymic guidelines (full title: Toponymic guidelines for map and other editors, for international use) are up-to-date documents promoted by the UNGEGN. The aim of these documents is to compile information on toponymic issues of a certain country, especially from the perspective of standardization of geographical names.

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Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names

In research: United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1967 establishments in Switzerland, Geographical naming agencies, International geographic data and information organizations, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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Frequently asked questions

What is United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names in simple terms?

Why does United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names.