Geographic Names Board

The U. S. Board on Geographic Names is a Federal body created in 1890 and established in its present form by Public Law in 1947. The Board was created to maintain uniform geographic name usage throughout the Federal Government. Sharing its responsibilities with the Secretary of the Interior, the Board promulgates official geographic feature names with locative attributes as well as principles, policies, and procedures governing the use of domestic names, foreign names, Antarctic names, and undersea feature names. The Board is made up of representatives of Federal agencies concerned with geographic information, population, ecology, and management of public lands.