place names toponyms, proper names of continents, oceans, seas, currents, rivers, lakes, islands, mountains, sands, swamps, tracts, countries, cities, villages, streets, farms, and all other geographical objects on the surface of the Earth. G.'s sum n. (toponymy) forms a system or a set of features and features that regularly repeat in the process of toponymy formation and its current relatively stable state. Such a system in different countries of the world is always of different ages and different languages, because reflects the historical conditions of countries and the languages of the peoples inhabiting and inhabiting them. G. n. often repeated, forming rows characteristic of a particular era. So, in the USSR, several cities and towns have the names Komsomolsk, Pervomaisky, Oktyabrsky, etc. The following names can serve as examples of multilingual G. n., but having almost the same content, the following names: Russian Novgorod, Italian Naples, Tajik Novabad, English Newcastle, Turkic Dzhangy-Shaar, etc. Among G. n. hydronyms stand out - G. n. rivers, lakes, oceans, etc., forming on the whole the most conservative group with the greatest stability; oronyms - names of mountains, ranges, peaks, hills; oikonyms - names of settlements, etc. However, this classification is not yet generally accepted. It is not clear, for example, where to attribute the G. of ravines, beams, sais, and other forms of erosional relief to oronyms or hydronyms, as well as the names of swamps, etc. Microtoponyms are also distinguished, i.e. G. n. small objects: lands, tracts, hayfields, pastures, sinkholes, cutting areas, burnt areas, pastures, wells, springs, whirlpools, rapids, etc. This group G. n. diverse in composition, it is united by the limited and narrow local popularity of such names only among local residents. The original meaning of the toponym in some cases is revealed easily, in others significant efforts are required to understand it, in the third, with the current level of knowledge, the origin of the toponym remains a mystery. G. n. are basically folk art. They reflect geographical conditions, history, economy, politics, languages, culture and civilization. Therefore, G.'s study of n. is of great interest to linguists, geographers, historians, ethnographers. For practice, the problem of stabilizing G. N., the principles of their transfer from language to language, is very essential. Systematic study of toponymy in the second half of the 20th century. developed in many countries around the world. A branch of knowledge that studies G. n. has stood out - Toponymy. Lit.: Zhuchkevich V. A., General toponymy, 2nd ed., Minsk, 1968; Murzaev E. M., The origin of geographical names, in the book: Soviet geography. Results and tasks, M., 1960; Nikonov V. A., Introduction to toponymy, M., 1965; his own, Brief Toponymic Dictionary, M., 1966; Pospelov E. M., Toponymy and cartography, M., 1971. E. M. Murzaev.
Great Soviet Encyclopedia. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1969-1978 .
See what "Geographical names" are in other dictionaries:
place names on the map- geographical names Proper names of objects depicted on the map. mapping [GOST 21667 76] Topics cartography General terms properties, map elements and methods of cartographic representation Synonyms geographical names ... ... Technical Translator's Handbook
- ... Wikipedia
Applications - geographical names- 1. The names of cities expressed by a declining noun, as a rule, agree in case with the word being defined, for example: in the city of Moscow, near the city of Smolensk, above the city of Saratov. The same with foreign names: in the city ... ... A guide to spelling and style
1) Department of the South American Republic of Uruguay, 5682 sq. km with 34154 inhabitants, including many Europeans; main occupation: agriculture and animal husbandry. The soil is partly very fertile and well cultivated. 2) C. del Sacramento chief ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron
Name Year of assignment Elisavetgrad 1784 Zinovievsk 1924 Kirovo 1934 Kirovograd 1939 Throughout its history, Kirovograd changed its name several times due to significant historical changes that took place on ... ... Wikipedia
Scientific reference publications containing a systematic set of geographical knowledge. G. e. give a description of objects of regional geography (continents, countries, regions, settlements, mountains, oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, ... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia
A guide to spelling and style
Geographical and administrative-territorial names- 1. Own geographical names are written with a capital letter, for example: the Arctic, Europe, Finland, Moscow, the Kremlin (a district of the city, but: the Kremlin was built in ancient Russian cities - in the meaning of "fortress"). Also: anti France, etc. In ... A guide to spelling and style
Books
- Geographical names of the Chuvash Republic Dictionary of local lore, Dubanov I .. Why is one of the lakes in the Krasnoarmeisky district called Pugachevo? Where did the names come from, which today have become objects of jokes, such as Algashi, Konary, Khachiki ... The banks of the river Hirli Sirma ...
Oceans, seas, currents, rivers, lakes, islands, mountains, sands, swamps, tracts, countries, cities, villages, streets, farms, and all other geographical objects on Earth. The sum Geographical names (toponymy) forms a system or set of features and characteristics that regularly repeat in the process of the formation of toponymy and its modern relatively stable. Such in different countries of the world is always of different ages and different languages, because. reflects the historical conditions of countries and the languages of the peoples inhabiting and inhabiting them. Geographical names are often repeated, forming rows characteristic of a particular era. So, in several cities and towns they have the name Komsomolsk, Pervomaisky, Oktyabrsky, etc. The following names can serve as examples of geographic names in different languages, but having almost the same content: Russian, Italian Naples, Tajik Novabad, English Newcastle, Turkic Dzhangy-Shaar, and so on.
Among Geographical names stand out - Geographical names of rivers, lakes, oceans, etc., forming on the whole the most conservative group with the greatest stability; oronyms - names of mountains, ranges, peaks, hills; oikonyms - names of settlements, etc. However, this classification is not yet generally accepted. It is not clear, for example, where to attribute the G. of ravines, beams, sais, and other forms of erosional relief to oronyms or hydronyms, as well as the names of swamps, etc. Microtoponyms are also distinguished, i.e. Geographical names of small objects: lands, tracts, pastures, sinkholes, burnt areas, wells, springs, whirlpools, rapids, etc. This group of Geographical names is diverse in composition; it is united by the limited and narrow local popularity of such names only among local residents.
The original toponym in some cases is revealed easily, in others significant efforts are required to understand it, in the third, with the current level of knowledge, the origin of the toponym remains a mystery. Geographical names are basically folk. They reflect geographical conditions, languages, and. Therefore, the study of geographical names is great for linguists, geographers, historians, ethnographers. For the stabilization of geographical names, their principles from language to language are very essential. Systematic study of toponymy in the second half of the 20th century. developed in many countries around the world. The branch of knowledge that studies Geographical names has stood out -
Articles and materials about toponyms
The book "Toponymy of the Voronezh Territory" was published
From this book you can learn about the administrative-territorial affiliation of all currently officially existing settlements in the Voronezh region, the time of their occurrence, former names, owners and first settlers, the time and reasons for renaming, the etymology of names, the norm of their pronunciation. Such a peculiar genre of folklore as toponymic legend is also interesting. The second part of the book is devoted specifically to this genre, often associated with the "folk etymology" of the origin of a number of Voronezh toponyms. -
The collection "Actual Problems of Toponymy" was published
The new issue of the series "Questions of Geography" is composed of articles on toponymy, as well as related sections of onomastics. It was prepared by the Toponymic Commission of the Moscow Geographical Society of the Russian Geographical Society (since 2009, the renewed series “Questions of Geography” has become a publication of the Russian Geographical Society) and is dedicated to two significant dates - the 100th anniversary of the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the 60th anniversary of the Toponymic Commission of the Moscow Geographical Society of the Russian Geographical Society. -
Chuk and Gek and other Antarctic toponyms
Rosreestr (Federal Service for State Registration, Cadastre and Cartography) announced on its website the creation of a register of names of geographical objects in Antarctica, which were discovered by Russian researchers in different years. The register contains information about 1752 names of geographical objects of the continental shelf and the exclusive economic zone of the Russian Federation, as well as objects discovered or identified by Russian researchers within the high seas and Antarctica. -
Groups of urbanonyms with a common feature (on the example of the city of Zwickau)
In the names of urbanonyms of cities, towns, villages (that is, linear and non-linear objects - streets, avenues, avenues, boulevards of squares, enterprises of various directions and other objects) one can find microgroups united by a common feature, a common theme. For example, in the city of Verny (the name of the city of Almaty in pre-Soviet times and in the early Soviet years), parallel streets ran in a row in its western part. Sartovskaya, Kyrgyz Dunganskaya, then for Kashgar – Taranchinskaya. –
The attitude of Russians to the toponymic heritage of the USSR
The Institute of Public Opinion Anketologist conducted a study on the attitude of Russians to the issues of renaming and naming. More than half of Russians (57%) believe that the expediency of changing Soviet toponyms to pre-revolutionary ones should be considered separately in each case. For the complete preservation of the Soviet names of streets and squares, 29% were in favor of the return of pre-revolutionary names - 9%. -
Gaiduk S. Toponyms of Petrozavodsk: streets and parks
The book "Toponyms of Petrozavodsk: streets and parks" was published. It tells about the history of the names of ever-existing streets and parks of the city. -
Moiseev B. A. Toponymic essays of the Orenburg region
On October 13, 2017, a solemn ceremony of awarding the winners of the P. I. Rychkov Regional Literary Prize took place in Orenburg. Boris Alexandrovich Moiseev with his book Toponymic Sketches of the Orenburg Region became the winner in the third nomination "Fiction and documentary work". It fascinatingly and in detail reveals the world of geographical names of the Orenburg region: the names of rivers, mountains, settlements. The toponymy of the region is considered in a wide context of historical events: the foundation of the province, the resettlement of residents from other regions of the Russian Empire, the influence of the Turkic language and Cossack dialects on the names of objects. -
New version of the origin of the toponym Samara
One of the new hypotheses of the origin of the Russian toponym Samara has been developed for several years by local historian from Samara Oleg Rakshin. In his opinion, the origin of the name of the river Samara and the name of the city of Samara are different.
From the history of the First World War: war with toponyms
In all the warring countries, there was not only a patriotic upsurge, but also a surge of xenophobia, in each specific country directed at a specific ethnic group. Xenophobia in those years took different forms, including such radical ones as pogroms. One of its specific forms is the replacement of toponyms of a certain linguistic origin.
Names of Asian capitals
We continue to get acquainted with the origin of the names of the capitals of the world. On this page we are talking about the capitals of Asian states, as well as states located partly in Europe or Oceania, but mostly in Asia.
Names of European capitals
Acquaintance with the city begins with its name. The names of the capitals of European countries should be known to us from school. But few people know about the origin of these names. 
The first chronicle evidence of Moscow is contained in the Ipatiev Chronicle under 1147. The name of the city Moscow inextricably linked with the name of the river of the same name Moscow.
From observations on the microtoponymy of the basin of the river. Ural
At one time, when analyzing the names of geographical objects, “more attention was paid to the name itself, and the geographical term remained in the shadows, despite the well-known genetic links of toponyms with the term. The geographical term in the fate of the toponym plays an important role: it denotes a geographical object.
Unresolved issues of onomastics of the Volga region
The 1st Volga Onomastic Conference clearly showed that today in the Volga region from Gorky to Astrakhan, from Perm to Penza there is not a single region and not a single ASSR that is not covered by onomastic research. Such a large scientific team is up to the task of solving large and difficult problems. Now the question is not quantity, but quality.
Kazakh geographical names with formants you and sy
Some original geographical names of Kazakhstan (occasionally Kyrgyzstan) exist in two versions: Arkarly and Arkarty, Almaly and Almaty, Arshaly and Arshats, Buguly and Buguty, Karagaily and Karagaity, Olendi and ӧlenti, Tobylgyly and Tobylgyty, Yrgaily and Yrgaity, other toponyms have only one variant: Zhideli, Zhosaly, Kargandy, Moildy, Mointy, Molaly, Sekseuldi, Kulandy, Shiderty.
Hello from America
Recently "rummaged" in the home archive. And among the many postcards with the sights of the former GDR, I found one that had not attracted my attention before. The black-and-white postcard shows three photographs: a general view of the settlement, the station and the restaurant hall. And to all this, an intriguing inscription - Gruß aus Amerika (Greetings from America). 
The longest place name in the world is in New Zealand. In Russian transcription, it has 82 letters. In English, which is listed in the Guinness Book of Records, there are 92 letters.
(on my other site) 
Acquaintance with the geographical names of the area visited by tourists occurs already at the stage of preparation for the trip - in the process of studying guidebooks, maps, reports of other travelers. And if you make a list of toponyms on the upcoming route in advance, then this can greatly help in the passage of the route, because often the etymology of toponyms reflects the physical and geographical characteristics of the named objects.
Toponyms of India (on my other site) 
Brief Dictionary of Place Names of India.
What is a geographic feature: definition and examples
Geography is the science that studies the earth's surface and everything on it. And a lot of things are located there: rivers and lakes, mountains and seas, agricultural lands and rocky canyons, cities and tiny villages ... It is these objects that give a unique, inimitable look to our planet.
So, what is a geographic real-life and relatively stable element of the earth's surface. All geographic objects are distinguished by integrity, specific location and have their own boundaries. At the same time, their genesis (origin) can be very diverse.
The science of geography, studying all these objects, first of all, is obliged to answer two main questions:
- Where is the object located?
- What does he look like?
The image of this or that geographical object is very important. In some of them, it is extremely brightly formed. For example, at the mention of the Roman Colosseum or the famous Egyptian pyramids, the corresponding “picture” immediately appears in the head.
Varieties of geographical objects
Based on the origin, all geographical objects can be divided into two large groups:
- Natural (seas, oceans, mountain ranges, lakes, caves, forests, rocks, springs, etc.).
- Anthropogenic or man-made (countries, cities, villages, industrial enterprises, monasteries, parks, ports, railway stations, etc.).
It is customary to describe any geographical object carefully and in detail, determining its characteristic properties, as well as measuring its parameters. For example, for mountain peaks, their height is determined, for rivers, their length, for airports, passenger traffic, etc.
What is a geographic feature? One more definition can be given - simple, but quite accurate. Geographical objects are all that can be indicated on geographical maps and terrain plans. How can I do that?
Geographical objects on the map
Various objects on maps and plans are displayed using special conventional signs. This is a system of specially designed graphic symbols and figures, which allows you to give a qualitative and quantitative description of certain objects or phenomena.
All cartographic symbols are divided into four types:
- large-scale or areal (contours of lakes, forests, fields, etc.);
- non-scale or point (power plants, mineral springs, Orthodox churches, etc.);
- linear (rivers, canals, highways, territory boundaries, etc.);
- explanatory (various verbal and numerical inscriptions).
The relief on geographical maps is depicted using horizontal lines - thin brown lines connecting points of the earth's surface with the same height. Arrows and special traffic signs show various natural or, for example, directions of maritime transport.
Names of geographical objects
Each such object has its own "name". And, as a rule, it is not accidental. The name of a geographical feature is usually associated with its features, location, or history.
The study of the origin, meaning and development (change) of place names is a separate science - toponymy. This scientific discipline is located at the intersection of geography, history and linguistics. The correct name of a geographical feature is extremely important for cartographers.
There are a huge number of types of geographical names: hydronyms (names of rivers and lakes), oikonyms (names of settlements), oronyms (names of landforms), godonyms (street names), etc.
"DIVO" Russian book of records and achievements
HUMAN ACTIVITIES: Language, Literature, Print: place names
GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES
THE SHORTEST NAMES
In our country, there are a number of geographical names consisting of only one letter. For example, small rivers in the Ob basin are called Yu and Ya.
There are more than 100 names of rivers, consisting of two letters. Here are some of them: Uh, Iya, Eun, Yaya and others.
Many settlements have names consisting of two letters: Ai (Sakhalin region), Ii (Tuva region), Osh (Kyrgyzstan), Uk (Irkutsk region), Chu (Kazakhstan), Yug (Perm region), Yar (Udmurtia, Sverdlovsk and Tyumen regions), Yaya (Kemerovo region).
"RELATIVES" ON THE MAP
The Mama River is a tributary of the Vitim (length 406 kilometers), partially navigable.
The Daughter River is a tributary of the Desna.
Sister - rivers in the Moscow and Leningrad regions.
Tyatya is a volcano on the Kuril Islands.
ISLANDS... WITH THE NAME OF THE NEWSPAPER
The only islands in the world named after the newspaper are the islands of Komsomolskaya Pravda. This is a group of 9 islands in the southwestern part of the Laptev Sea. The largest of them are Bolshoi and Samuil, up to 68 meters high. Tundra prevails.
GHOST VALLEY
Such a mysterious name of one of the valleys in the Crimea is explained by the fact that all of it is covered with stone sculptures resembling bizarre figures of people and animals.
DON'T COUNT THE NAMES
An extraordinary record was set ... by the Kuban River, the Azov and Black Seas. Chairman of the Krasnodar Department of the Geographical Society, Candidate of Geographical Sciences G. A. Galkin, having analyzed several thousand archival, literary, cartographic and epigraphic sources, compiled a unique collection of ancient and medieval names of the Kuban River (296 names and their variants, including discrepancies, distortions, mistakes of the authors , scribes and translators). The Black Sea turned out to have 269 names, and the Azov Sea - 240.
NO VISA REQUIRED FOR CALIFORNIA
At any time and without any visa, a Soviet person can today visit California. At the same time, there is no need to go overseas at all, since California is located in the south of the Gorky region, five kilometers from the border with Chuvashia. The village of Kaniforovka was renamed California, most likely in the second half of the last century. At that time, there was only talk among the peasants about the sale by Russia to American colonists of lands literally stuffed with gold. Apparently, then, half-jokingly, half-seriously, they called the poor Nizhny Novgorod settlement a beautiful overseas name.
According to another version, around the same years, some families from here had a chance to move to America, and later return to their native lands and “bring” a new name for the village with them. Be that as it may, gold has never been looked for here...
NAMES OF THE RED SQUARE
The main square of Moscow was formed at the end of the 15th century. This place near the Kremlin wall was then called the Fire - for the frequent fires of shops or the Market - for the main shopping mall of the city. Since the second half of the 17th century, it has been called Red Square, that is, “beautiful”.
MOSCOW IS KUCHKOVO
The oldest mention of Moscow was found on one of the birch bark letters found in Novgorod. The first known mention of Moscow, dating back to 1147, was found in the Ipatiev manuscript. But the manuscript itself, which told about the events of the XII century, was written in the XV century. The Novgorod birch bark writing dates back to the middle of the 12th century, that is, approximately 1160-1170. The author writes that he intends to visit a settlement on the Moskva River, which later became the capital of the Russian state: According to the head of the Novgorod archaeological expedition, academician V. Yanin, Moscow was then called Kuchkovo.
