Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica
The Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica (CGA) of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) is the authoritative international gazetteer containing all the Antarctic toponyms published in national gazetteers, plus basic information about those names and the relevant geographical features. The Gazetteer includes also parts of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO) gazetteer for under-sea features situated south of 60° south latitude.
Currently (as of 1 October 2008), the overall content of the CGA amounts to 36,177 geographic names for 18,486 features including some 500 features with two or more entirely different names, contributed by the following sources:
| Country | Names |
|---|---|
| USA | 13,090 |
| UK | 4,875 |
| Russia | 4,808 |
| New Zealand | 2,591 |
| Argentina | 2,544 |
| Australia | 2,371 |
| Chile | 1,865 |
| Norway | 1,647 |
| Bulgaria | 398 |
| Germany | 393 |
| Poland | 365 |
| Japan | 320 |
| China | 279 |
| France | 208 |
| GEBCO | 185 |
| Belgium | 117 |
| Italy | 53 |
| Spain | 30 |
| India | 21 |
| Ecuador | 9 |
| Uruguay | 5 |
| South Africa | 2 |
| Canada | 1 |
National Authorities for Antarctic place-names
Country / Official authority:
Argentina: Instituto Geográfico Militar Sección Toponimia del Servicio de Hidrografía Naval de la Armada Argentina and Instituto Antártico Argentino;
Australia: Australian Antarctic Names and Medals Committee;
Bulgaria: Antarctic Place-names Commission;
Canada: Geographical Names Board of Canada;
Chile: Instituto Hidrografíco de la Armada de Chile and Instituto Geográfico Militar;
China: Chinese Place-names Committee;
France: Commission de Toponymie des TAAF, Institut Géographique National (Commission of Toponymy of TAAF, National Geographic Institute);
Germany: Ständiger Ausschuß für Geographische Namen (Permanent committee on geographical names);
Italy: Comitato per i nomi geografici antartici (Antarctic geographic names Committee);
Japan: Antarctic Place-names Committee of Japan;
New Zealand: Antarctic Place-names Committee of New Zealand;
Norway: Antarctic Place-names Committee of Norway, Norsk Polarinstitutt;
Poland: Committee of Polar Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences;
Russia: Russian Interministerial Commission on Geographical Names;
UK: British Antarctic Survey UK Antarctic Place-names Committee;
Uruguay: Instituto Antártico Uruguayo;
USA: United States Board on Geographic Names;
GEBCO: GEBCO Sub-Committee on Undersea Feature Names.
References
- Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica (former official website)
- Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica (official website)
