Wabash River at New Harmony, IN - town and bridge signs
Does Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) include manmade and administrative features, such as churches, cemeteries, parks, schools, shopping centers, trails?
No. GNIS does not include roads, highways, administrative, or cultural features, except for canals, channels, reservoirs, communities, civil divisions, and military features. In 2021 the following geographic features, referred to as “administrative” (cultural or man-made), were removed from GNIS: airport, bridge, building, cemetery, church, dam, forest, harbor, hospital, mine, oilfield, park, post office, reserve, school, tower, trail, tunnel, and well. Many administrative names are managed by other The National Map data themes (see Supporting Themes) and are maintained through submissions from authoritative sources or based on input from volunteers through The National Map Corps.
If you are interested in participating in The National Map Corps, which encourages citizens to collect structures data by adding new features, removing obsolete points, and correcting existing data for The National Map, please visit The National Map Corps website. To identify the administrative features to be maintained through The National Map Corps program, click "Structures" from the list on the left side of the page.
Learn More: Geographic Names FAQs
Related Content
Does the Board on Geographic Names (BGN) decide what is derogatory or offensive?
The BGN’s Principles, Policies, and Procedures document includes a Policy on Derogatory and Offensive Names. As of 2023, three words are declared derogatory in all occurrences: In 1963, the BGN, at the request of the Secretary of the Interior, mandated that the pejorative form of the word “Negro” be eliminated from all federal maps and publications. The word was replaced with “Negro” for all...
Why are there no ZIP Codes in the Geographic Names Information System database?
The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) contains named communities, both incorporated and unincorporated, but these communities do not necessarily correspond to ZIP Code areas. ZIP Codes are developed and maintained by the U.S. Postal Service solely for the purpose of delivering mail. It is not within the mission, purpose, or resources of the GNIS to maintain ZIP Code information. You can...
Why are there no entries for caves in the Geographic Names Information System database?
Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) does include caves but the entries are not publicly available. In response to the 1988 National Cave Management Resources Act, Department of the Interior Regulation 43 (CFR Subtitle A, Part 37) forbids the release of information regarding the location of all caves on Federal lands. Currently, GNIS does not distinguish between features on Federal versus...
How do I report an error in the Geographic Names Information System database?
Please report possible errors in the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) database to the GNIS Manager at tnm_help@usgs.gov. The Names data experts will investigate and validate the data, enter appropriate corrections where needed, and advise you of the results. Learn more: Geographic Names FAQs
Does the Geographic Names Information System database contain entries for obsolete names and geographic features that no longer exist?
Yes, the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) includes features that no longer exist and names that are no longer used. If a feature no longer exists on the landscape, or the name has fallen out of use, the entry is marked “historical”. The designation “historical” has no reference to age, size, condition, extent of habitation, type of use, or any other factor. Examples of historical...
Wabash River at New Harmony, IN - town and bridge signs
Wabash River at New Harmony, IN - town and bridge signs
Groundwater Sampling at Mt. Hope Cemetery, Michigan
Is this cemetery haunted? Probably not, but there could be tiny things moving beyond the grave. The USGS sampled groundwater downhill of Mt. Hope Cemetery in Lansing, Michigan, to find out if materials associated with decomposition and burial processes could affect groundwater quality near a cemetery.
Is this cemetery haunted? Probably not, but there could be tiny things moving beyond the grave. The USGS sampled groundwater downhill of Mt. Hope Cemetery in Lansing, Michigan, to find out if materials associated with decomposition and burial processes could affect groundwater quality near a cemetery.
Related Content
Does the Board on Geographic Names (BGN) decide what is derogatory or offensive?
The BGN’s Principles, Policies, and Procedures document includes a Policy on Derogatory and Offensive Names. As of 2023, three words are declared derogatory in all occurrences: In 1963, the BGN, at the request of the Secretary of the Interior, mandated that the pejorative form of the word “Negro” be eliminated from all federal maps and publications. The word was replaced with “Negro” for all...
Why are there no ZIP Codes in the Geographic Names Information System database?
The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) contains named communities, both incorporated and unincorporated, but these communities do not necessarily correspond to ZIP Code areas. ZIP Codes are developed and maintained by the U.S. Postal Service solely for the purpose of delivering mail. It is not within the mission, purpose, or resources of the GNIS to maintain ZIP Code information. You can...
Why are there no entries for caves in the Geographic Names Information System database?
Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) does include caves but the entries are not publicly available. In response to the 1988 National Cave Management Resources Act, Department of the Interior Regulation 43 (CFR Subtitle A, Part 37) forbids the release of information regarding the location of all caves on Federal lands. Currently, GNIS does not distinguish between features on Federal versus...
How do I report an error in the Geographic Names Information System database?
Please report possible errors in the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) database to the GNIS Manager at tnm_help@usgs.gov. The Names data experts will investigate and validate the data, enter appropriate corrections where needed, and advise you of the results. Learn more: Geographic Names FAQs
Does the Geographic Names Information System database contain entries for obsolete names and geographic features that no longer exist?
Yes, the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) includes features that no longer exist and names that are no longer used. If a feature no longer exists on the landscape, or the name has fallen out of use, the entry is marked “historical”. The designation “historical” has no reference to age, size, condition, extent of habitation, type of use, or any other factor. Examples of historical...
Wabash River at New Harmony, IN - town and bridge signs
Wabash River at New Harmony, IN - town and bridge signs
Wabash River at New Harmony, IN - town and bridge signs
Groundwater Sampling at Mt. Hope Cemetery, Michigan
Is this cemetery haunted? Probably not, but there could be tiny things moving beyond the grave. The USGS sampled groundwater downhill of Mt. Hope Cemetery in Lansing, Michigan, to find out if materials associated with decomposition and burial processes could affect groundwater quality near a cemetery.
Is this cemetery haunted? Probably not, but there could be tiny things moving beyond the grave. The USGS sampled groundwater downhill of Mt. Hope Cemetery in Lansing, Michigan, to find out if materials associated with decomposition and burial processes could affect groundwater quality near a cemetery.