POLICY COVERING ANTARCTIC NAMES 



The problem of geographic nomenclature in Antarctica differs 

 from that of any land area of comparable size. Antarctica has 

 no permanent settlements. Even in the stations continuously 

 occupied for a number of years the personnel are rotated. The 

 continent has been visited and explored by the representatives 

 of many nations, who, by their heroic efforts to broaden man's 

 knowledge of this land of ice and snow, have fully demon- 

 strated the international nature of science. Most major features 

 of Antarctica have been discovered and mapped, but some 

 secondary features continue to be only partially delineated and 

 remain unnamed. 



Because Antarctica has no history of permanent settlement, 

 and because the continent has been unveiled through the efforts 

 of explorers, scientists, and others, the Board has found it 

 practical to apply the names of such persons to antarctic natural 

 features. It does not, however, preclude the use of other than 

 personal names, as discussed below. 



Decisions on antarctic names are based on priority of appli- 

 cation, appropriateness, and the extent to which usage has 

 become established. The grouping of natural features into three 

 orders of magnitude, with corresponding categories of persons 

 according to the type of contribution which they have made, 

 is intended to provide objectivity in determining the appropri- 

 ateness of a name. 



The names of antarctic buildings, facilities, stations and other 

 installations do not fall within the purview of the Board and 

 are not listed. 



Types of natural features 



The kinds of features that have been named in Antarctica are 

 roughly grouped in three categories. There is considerable lat- 

 itude for judgment in classifying individual features, since it 

 is not practical to set size limits for "large glaciers," "great 

 mountains," or "large bays." 



Features having special significance or prominence in geo- 

 graphic discovery, scientific investigation, or the history of 

 Antarctica may be placed in the next higher category than their 

 size would warrant. 



1 . First-order features 



a. Regions or "lands" 



b. Coasts 



c. Seas 



d. Plateaus 



e. Extensive mountain ranges 



f. Major subglacial basins, mountains, or plateaus 



g. Extensive ice shelves 

 h. Large glaciers 



2. Second-order features 



a. Peninsulas 



b. Mountain ranges, except the most extensive 



c. Great or prominent mountains 



d. Glaciers, except the largest 



e. Prominent capes 



f. Islands or ice rises 



g. Gulfs 



h. Large bays 



i. Straits or passages 



j . Harbors 



k. Extensive reefs, shoals, or banks 



3. Third-order features 



m. 

 n. 



Minor mountains and hills 



Nunataks 



Cliffs 



Rocks 



Minor shore features 



Points 



Capes (except the greater or more prominent ones) 



Glaciers (except the greater or more prominent ones) 



Bays (except the greater or more prominent ones) 



Coves 



Anchorages 



Parts of these features 



Reefs, shoals, and banks of small extent 



Meltwater streams 



Application of personal names to features 



Personal names generally are applied to natural features as 

 outlined here: 



1 . First-order features 



a. Leaders or organizers of expeditions to Antarctica 



b. Persons who have made discoveries of outstanding sig- 

 nificance in Antarctica, or leaders of parties or captains 

 of ships that have made such discoveries 



c. Persons who, through their work with antarctic expe- 

 ditions, have made outstanding contributions to scien- 

 tific knowledge or to the techniques of antarctic 

 exploration 



d. Persons who have provided the major financial or ma- 

 terial support to an expedition, thereby making such an 

 undertaking possible 



2. Second-order features 



a. Persons whose outstanding heroism, skill, spirit, or la- 

 bor has made a signal contribution to the success of an 

 expedition 



b. Persons who have made important contributions in the 

 planning, organization, outfitting, or operation of ex- 

 peditions to Antarctica 



IX 



