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Chapter 23 — Headings for Geographic Names

PDF pages 495-502. Source PDF: RADComplete_July2008.pdf.

Contents

  • 23.1 — Introductory Note

  • 23.2 — General Rules

  • 23.2A — English Form

  • 23.2B — Vernacular Form

  • 23.3 — Changes of Name

  • 23.4 — Additions

  • 23.4A — Punctuation

  • 23.4B — General Rule
  • 23.4C — Places in Australia, Canada, Malaysia, United States, U.s.s.r.,

Or Yugoslavia

  • 23.4D — Places in the British Isles
  • 23.4E — Other Places

  • 23.4F — Further Additions

  • 23.5 — Place Names including or Requiring a Term Indicating a Type

23.1. INTRODUCTORY NOTE {#23-1}

23.1A. The names of geographic entities (referred to throughout this chapter as {#23-1a}

"places") are used to distinguish between corporate bodies with the same name (see 24.4C); as additions to other corporate names (e.g., conference names, see 24.7B4);

GEOGRAPHIC NAMES

and, commonly, as the names of governments (see 24.3E) and communities that are not governments.1 (23.1A.)

23.2. GENERAL RULES {#23-2}

23.2A. English form {#23-2a}

23.2A1. Use the English form of the name of a place if there is one in general use. {#23-2a1}

Determine this from gazetteers and other reference sources published in English- speaking countries. In case of doubt, use the vernacular form (see 23.2B).

Austria not Österreich

Copenhagen not København

Florence not Firenze

Ghent not Gent Gand

Sweden not Sverige

If the English form of the name of a place is the English name of the government that has jurisdiction over the place, use that form.

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics not Soliuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik Russia (23.2A1)

23.2B. Vernacular form {#23-2b}

23.2B1. Use the form in the official language of the country if there is no English form in {#23-2b1}

general use.

Note that the geographic name headings resulting from the application of these rules are not meant to be used for geographical features that cannot act as corporate bodies, e.g., rivers, mountains, deserts, archaeological sites, named monuments and battlefields.

GEOGRAPHIC NAMES

Buenos Aires

Gorlovka

Tallinn

Livorno not Leghorn (English form no longer in general use)

If the country has more than one official language, use the form most commonly found in English-language sources.

Louvain not Leuven

Helsinki not Helsingfors (23.2B1.)

23.3. CHANGES OF NAME {#23-3}

23.3A. If the name of a place changes, use as many of the names as are required by: {#23-3a}

1) the rules on government names (24.3E) (e.g., use Nyasaland or Malawi, as appropriate) or 2) the rules on additions to corporate names (24.4C6) and conference names (24.7B4) (e.g., use Léopoldville or Kinshasa, as appropriate) or 3) other relevant rules in chapter 24. (23.3A.)

23.4. ADDITIONS {#23-4}

23.4A. Punctuation {#23-4a}

23.4A1. Make all additions to place names used as entry elements (see 24.3E) in {#23-4a1}

parentheses.

Budapest (Hungary)

If the place name is being used as an addition, precede the name of a larger place by a comma.

GEOGRAPHIC NAMES

Magyar Nemzeti Galéria (Budapest, Hungary)2 (23.4A1.)

23.4B. General rule {#23-4b}

23.4B1. Add to the name of a place (other than a country or a state, etc., listed in {#23-4b1}

23.4C1 or 23.4D1) the name of a larger place as instructed in 23.4C-23.4F. For additional instructions on distinguishing between place names used as the headings for governments, see 24.6. For instructions on abbreviating some place names used as additions, see B.14. (23.4B1.)

23.4C. Places in Australia, Canada, Malaysia, United States, U.S.S.R., or {#23-4c}

Yugoslavia

23.4C1. States, etc {#23-4c1}

Do not make any addition to the name of a state, province, territory, etc., of Australia, Canada, Malaysia, the United States, the U.S.S.R., or Yugoslavia.

Northern Territory

Prince Edward Island

District of Columbia (23.4C1.)

23.4C2. Other places {#23-4c2}

If the place is in a state, province, territory, etc., of one of the countries listed above, add the name of the state, etc., in which it is located.

Darwin (N.T.)

Jasper (Alta.)

George Town (Penang)

Cook County (Ill.)

Alexandria (Va.)

Washington (D.C.)

This example and the one above are included solely to show the punctuation patterns. For the construction of the heading, see the later rules in this chapter and those in chapter 24.

GEOGRAPHIC NAMES

Kiev (Ukraine)

Split (Croatia) (23.4C2.)

23.4D. Places in the British Isles {#23-4d}

23.4D1. Do not make any addition to the names of the following parts of the British Isles: {#23-4d1}

England, the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands. (23.4D1.)

23.4D2. If a place is located in England, the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, {#23-4d2}

Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man, or the Channel Islands, add England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Isle of Man, or Channel Islands, as appropriate.

Dorset (England)

Pinner (England)

Clare (Ireland)

Waterville (Ireland)

Bangor (Northern Ireland)

Strathclyde (Scotland)

Melrose (Scotland)

Powys (Wales)

Bangor (Wales)

Ramsey (Isle of Man)

Jersey (Channel Islands) (23.4D2.)

23.4E. Other places {#23-4e}

23.4E1. Add to the name of a place not covered by 23.4C-23.4D the name of the country {#23-4e1}

in which the place is located.

Formosa (Argentina)

GEOGRAPHIC NAMES

Luanda (Angola)

Lucca (Italy)

Madras (India)

Monrovia (Liberia)

Niesby (Denmark)

Paris (France)

Toledo (Spain) (23.4E1.)

23.4F. Further additions {#23-4f}

23.4F1. Distinguishing between otherwise identical place names. If the addition of a {#23-4f1}

larger place as instructed in 23.4C-23.4E is insufficient to distinguish between two or more places with the same name, include a word or phrase commonly used to distinguish them.

Villaviciosa de Asturias (Spain)

Villaviciosa de Córdoba (Spain)

If there is no such word or phrase, give the name of an appropriate smaller place before the name of the larger place.

Friedberg (Bavaria, Germany)

Friedberg (Hesse, Germany)

Tarbert (Strathclyde, Scotland)

Tarbert (Western Isles, Scotland)

Basildon (Essex, England)

Basildon (Berkshire, England)

GEOGRAPHIC NAMES

Saint Anthony (Hennepin County, Minn.)

Saint Anthony (Stearns County, Minn.) (23.4F1.)

23.4F2. Identifying places {#23-4f2}

If considered necessary to identify the place (as in the case of a community within a city), give the name of an appropriate smaller place before the name of the larger place specified as an addition by the preceding rules.

Hyde Park (Chicago, Ill.)

Chelsea (London, England)

Everton (Liverpool, England)

St. Peter Port (Guernsey, Channel Islands)

Hataitai (Wellington, N.Z.)

Palermo (Sicily, Italy)

Swansea (Toronto, Ont.)

11e Arrondissement (Paris, France)

Minato-ku (Tokyo, Japan) (23.4F2.)

23.5. PLACE NAMES INCLUDING OR REQUIRING A TERM INDICATING A TYPE OF {#23-5}

JURISDICTION

23.5A. If the first part of a place name is a term indicating a type of jurisdiction and the {#23-5a}

place is commonly listed under another element of its name in lists published in the language of the country in which it is located, omit the term indicating the type of jurisdiction.

Kerry (Ireland) not County Kerry (Ireland)

Ostholstein (Germany) not Kreis Ostholstein (Germany)

In all other cases, include the term indicating the type of jurisdiction.

GEOGRAPHIC NAMES

Città di Castello (Italy)

Ciudad Juárez (Mexico)

District of Columbia

Distrito Federal (Brazil)

Mexico City (Mexico) (23.5A.)

23.5B. If a place name does not include a term indicating a type of jurisdiction and such {#23-5b}

a term is required to distinguish that place from another of the same name, follow the instructions in 24.6. (23.5B.)