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Over 2,000,0000 place names available from the GNIS
(Geographic Names Information System) developed by the USGS.
| Type |
Description |
| All Types |
selects all the defined types |
| airport |
manmade facility maintained for the use of aircraft
(airfield, airstrip, landing field, landing strip). |
| arch |
natural arch like opening in a rock mass (bridge,
natural bridge, sea arch). |
| area |
any one of several areally extensive natural
features not included in other categories (badlands, barren, delta, fan, garden). |
| arroyo |
watercourse or channel through which water may occasionally
flow (coulee, draw, gully, wash). |
| bar |
natural accumulation of sand, gravel, or alluvium
forming an underwater or exposed embankment (ledge, reef, sandbar, shoal, spit). |
| basin |
natural depression or relatively low area enclosed by
higher land (amphitheater, cirque, pit, sink). |
| bay |
indentation of a coastline or shoreline enclosing a part of a
body of water; a body of water partly surrounded by land
(arm, bight, cove, estuary, gulf, inlet, sound). |
| beach |
the sloping shore along a body of water that is
washed by waves or tides and is usually covered by sand or gravel (coast, shore, strand). |
| bench |
area of relatively level land on the flank of an elevation such as a hill, ridge, or mountain
where the slope of the land rises on one side and descends on the opposite side (level). |
| bend |
curve in the course of a stream and (or) the land
within the curve; a curve in a linear body of water (bottom, loop, meander). |
| bridge |
manmade structure carrying a trail, road, or other
transportation system across a body of water or depression (causeway, overpass, trestle). |
| building |
a manmade structure with walls and a roof for
protection of people and (or) materials, but not including church, hospital, or school. |
| canal |
manmade waterway used by watercraft or for drainage,
irrigation, mining, or water power (ditch, lateral). |
| cape |
projection of land extending into a body of water (lea,
neck, peninsula, point). |
| cave |
natural underground passageway or chamber, or a hollowed
out cavity in the side of a cliff (cavern, grotto). |
| cemetery |
a place or area for burying the dead (burial,
burying ground, grave, memorial garden). |
| census |
A statistical area delineated locally specifically for the
tabulation of Census Bureau data (census designated place, census county division,
unorganized territory, various types of American Indian/Alaska Native statistical areas).
Distinct from Civil and Populated Place. |
| channel |
linear deep part of a body of water through which the
main volume of water flows and is frequently used as a route for watercraft (passage, reach,
strait, thoroughfare, throughfare). |
| church |
building used for religious worship (chapel, mosque,
synagogue, tabernacle, temple). |
| city |
same as populated place |
| civil |
a political division formed for administrative
purposes (borough, county, municipio, parish, town, township). |
| cliff |
very steep or vertical slope (bluff, crag, head,
headland, nose, palisades, precipice, promontory, rim, rimrock). |
| crater |
circular-shaped depression at the summit of a volcanic cone or
one on the surface of the land caused by the impact of a meteorite; a manmade depression
caused by an explosion (caldera, lua). |
| crossing |
a place where two or more routes of transportation
form a junction or intersection (overpass, underpass). |
| dam |
water barrier or embankment built across the course of a stream or into a body
of water to control and (or) impound the flow of water (breakwater, dike, jetty). |
| falls |
perpendicular or very steep fall of water in the course of a
stream (cascade, cataract, waterfall). |
| flat |
relative level area within a region of greater relief
(clearing, glade, playa). |
| forest |
bounded area of woods, forest, or grassland under the
administration of a political agency (see woods)
(national forest, national grasslands, State forest). |
| gap |
low point or opening between hills or mountains or in a ridge or mountain
range (col, notch, pass, saddle, water gap, wind gap). |
| geyser |
eruptive spring from which hot water and (or) steam and
in some cases mud are periodically thrown. |
| glacier |
body or stream of ice moving outward and downslope
from an area of accumulation; an area of relatively permanent snow or ice on the top or
side of a mountain or mountainous area (icefield, ice patch, snow patch). |
| gut |
relatively small coastal waterway connecting larger bodies
of water or other waterways (creek, inlet, slough). |
| harbor |
sheltered area of water where ships or other watercraft
can anchor or dock (hono, port, roads, roadstead). |
| hospital |
building where the sick or injured may receive medical or
surgical attention (infirmary). |
| island |
area of dry or relatively dry land surrounded by water or low wetland
(archipelago, atoll, cay, hammock, hummock, isla, isle, key, moku, rock). |
| isthmus |
narrow section of land in a body of water connecting
two larger land areas. |
| lake |
natural body of inland water (backwater, lac, lagoon,
laguna, pond, pool, resaca, waterhole). |
| lava |
formations resulting from the consolidation of molten rock
on the surface of the Earth (kepula, lava flow). |
| levee |
natural or manmade embankment flanking a stream (bank, berm). |
| locale |
place at which there is or was human activity; it does not include populated places, mines, and dams
(battlefield, crossroad, camp, farm, ghost town, landing, railroad siding, ranch, ruins, site, station, windmill) |
|
military |
Place or facility used for various aspects of or relating to military activity. |
| mine |
place or area from which commercial minerals are or
were removed from the Earth; not including oilfield (pit, quarry, shaft). |
| oilfield |
area where petroleum is or was removed from the Earth. |
| other |
category for miscellaneous named manmade entities that
cannot readily be placed in the other feature classes listed here. |
| park |
place or area set aside for recreation or preservation of a cultural or natural resource and under some
form of government administration; not including National or State forests or Reserves (national
historical landmark, national park, State park). |
| pillar |
vertical, standing, often spire shaped, natural rock
formation (chimney, monument, pinnacle, pohaku, rock tower). |
| plain |
a region of general uniform slope, comparatively
level and of considerable extent (grassland, highland, kula, plateau, upland). |
| post office |
United States post office |
| populated place |
place or area with clustered or scattered buildings
and a permanent human population (city, settlement, town, village). |
| range |
chain of hills or mountains; a somewhat linear,
complex mountainous or hilly area (cordillera, sierra). |
| rapids |
fast flowing section of a stream, often shallow and with exposed rock or
boulders (riffle, ripple). |
| reserve |
a tract of land set aside for a specific use (does
not include forests, civil divisions, parks). |
| reservoir |
artificially impounded body of water (lake, tank). |
| ridge |
elevation with a narrow, elongated crest which can be part
of a hill or mountain (crest, cuesta, escarpment, hogback, lae, rim, spur). |
| school |
building or group of buildings used as an institution for
study, teaching, and learning (academy, college, high school, university). |
| sea |
large body of salt water (gulf, ocean). |
| slope |
a gently inclined part of the Earth's surface (grade, pitch). |
| spring |
place where underground water flows naturally to the surface of the Earth (seep). |
| stream |
linear body of water flowing on the Earth's surface
(anabranch, awawa, bayou, branch, brook, creek, distributary, fork, kill, pup, rio, river, run, slough). |
| summit |
prominent elevation rising above the surrounding level of
the Earth's surface; does not include pillars, ridges, or ranges (ahu, berg, bald, butte, cerro,
colina, cone, cumbre, dome, head, hill, horn, knob, knoll, mauna, mesa, mesita, mound, mount) |
| swamp |
poorly drained wetland, fresh or saltwater, wooded or
grassy, possibly covered with open water (bog, cienega, marais, marsh, pocosin). |
| tower |
a manmade structure, higher than its diameter,
generally used for observation, storage, or electronic transmission. |
| trail |
route for passage from one point to another; does not
include roads or highways (jeep trail, path, ski trail). |
| tunnel |
linear underground passageway open at both ends. |
| unknown |
This class is assigned to legacy data only. It will not be
assigned to new or edited records. |
| valley |
linear depression in the Earth's surface that generally slopes from one end to the other
(barranca, canyon, chasm, cove, draw, glen, gorge, gulch, gulf, hollow, ravine). |
| well |
manmade shaft or hole in the Earth's surface used to
obtain fluid or gaseous materials. |
| woods |
small area covered with a dense growth of trees; does not include an area of trees
under the administration of a political agency (see forest). |
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