About GNIS
The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), developed by the USGS in cooperation with
the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN), contains information
for almost 2 million physical and cultural geographic features in the
United States
and its territories. The Federally recognized name of each feature described in the data base
is identified, and references are made to a feature's location by State, county, and geographic
coordinates. The GNIS is our Nation's official repository of domestic geographic names
information.
The GNIS also contains information on geographic names in
Antarctica which are approved by the
BGN for use by the Federal Government.
Information about foreign geographic feature names can be obtained
from the GEOnet Names Server (GNS),
developed and maintained by the National Geospatial-Intelligence
Agency (NGA). | 
