Geographic Feature Abbreviations
46 abbreviations · part of Geography & Place Abbreviations
Maps, atlases, road signs and place names abbreviate common landforms and features, such as Mt. for Mount, R. for River and Jct. for Junction, along with terms for coordinates, elevation and protected areas such as NP for National Park. Style guides differ: AP spells out Mount and Fort in place names, while maps abbreviate almost everything to fit their labels. Abbreviations used as street suffixes in mailing addresses are listed separately with address abbreviations.
| Abbreviation | Stands for | Description |
|---|---|---|
| AMSL | Above mean sea level | Height relative to mean sea level, the standard reference on aviation charts and in surveying and engineering; airport elevations are published in feet AMSL. |
| AONB | Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty | Protected landscape designation in the United Kingdom, covering areas such as the Cotswolds and the Chilterns; in England these areas were rebranded as National… |
| ASL | Above sea level | Shows height relative to sea level for mountains, towns and airfields, as in 1,600 m ASL. |
| Bch. | Beach | Used in place names and addresses, as in Myrtle Bch., Virginia Bch. or Palm Bch.; USPS uses BCH for the street suffix. |
| Co. | County | Abbreviation of County in place names and addresses, as in Orange Co., California, or Co. |
| Cyn. | Canyon | Seen on maps, trail signs and in place names, as in Grand Cyn. or Topanga Cyn.; USPS uses CYN for the street suffix. |
| Elev. | Elevation | Height of land above sea level, printed as elev. on maps, road signs and trail markers, as in Leadville, elev. 10,152 ft. |
| Ft. | Fort | Shortens Fort in the names of military posts and the cities that grew around them, such as Ft. |
| GIS | Geographic information system | Software and methods for capturing, storing, analyzing and mapping location data, used in urban planning, environmental science, logistics and emergency response. |
| Gt. | Great | Used in British place names and map labels, as in Gt. |
| Hbr. | Harbor | Appears in place names and on nautical charts for sheltered anchorages, as in Bar Hbr., Maine, or Pearl Hbr. |
| Hts. | Heights | Appears in neighborhood and town names such as Brooklyn Hts., Washington Hts. and Cleveland Hts., originally marking high ground above a city or river. |
| Is. | Island | Map and place-name abbreviation of Island or Islands, as in Canary Is. or Bainbridge Is.; Isl. and I. are also used. |
| Jct. | Junction | Place where roads or railways meet, abbreviated Jct. on road signs, railroad timetables and in town names such as Grand Jct., Colorado, or White River Jct., Vermont. |
| L. | Lake | Abbreviation of Lake on maps and in atlases, usually placed before the name, as in L. |
| Lat. | Latitude | Angular distance north or south of the equator, from 0 degrees at the equator to 90 degrees at the poles, written lat. in coordinates and tables. |
| Long. | Longitude | Angular distance east or west of the prime meridian at Greenwich, from 0 to 180 degrees, written long. or lon. in coordinates and GPS data. |
| MSL | Mean sea level | Average level of the ocean surface, used as the reference for aircraft altitudes, airport elevations and terrain heights on aeronautical charts. |
| Mt. | Mount | Shortens Mount before the name of an individual mountain and of towns named after mountains, as in Mt. |
| Mtn. | Mountain | Abbreviation of Mountain when it follows a name, as in Stone Mtn. or Lookout Mtn., common on maps, trail signs and in place names. |
| Mts. | Mountains | Plural form used for mountain ranges on maps and in atlases, as in Rocky Mts., Ural Mts. or San Juan Mts.; Mtns. is a common alternative. |
| NF | National Forest | Federal forest land managed by the US Forest Service for timber, grazing, recreation and conservation, labeled NF on maps, as in Tongass NF in Alaska, the largest at… |
| NHP | National Historical Park | National Park Service designation for larger historical areas with several sites, such as Independence NHP in Philadelphia, home of the Liberty Bell and Independence… |
| NHS | National Historic Site | Designation for places of national historical significance in the United States and Canada, managed in the US by the National Park Service and in Canada largely by… |
| NM | National Monument | Protected area designated by the president under the Antiquities Act of 1906 or by Congress, labeled NM on maps; Devils Tower in Wyoming was the first, proclaimed in… |
| NP | National Park | Used on maps and signs for a national park, a protected area managed for conservation and public enjoyment, as in Yellowstone NP, the world's first national park… |
| NRA | National Recreation Area | US federal designation for areas centered on outdoor recreation, often around reservoirs, such as Lake Mead NRA, designated by Congress in 1964 as the first of its kind. |
| NS | National Seashore | National Park Service designation for protected coastline, such as Cape Hatteras NS in North Carolina, the first, plus Cape Cod NS and Point Reyes NS. |
| NWR | National Wildlife Refuge | Protected area in the US system managed by the Fish and Wildlife Service for wildlife habitat, begun in 1903 when Theodore Roosevelt protected Pelican Island, Florida. |
| Pen. | Peninsula | Abbreviation of Peninsula on maps and in atlases, as in Kenai Pen. or Olympic Pen., where long names must fit into small spaces. |
| Pk. | Peak | Map abbreviation for a mountain summit, especially in Colorado and the West, as in Pikes Pk. or Longs Pk. |
| Prov. | Province | Appears in place names, atlases and official documents for provinces in Canada, China, Argentina, South Africa and elsewhere. |
| Pt. | Point | Used for headlands and coastal places, as in Pt. |
| R. | River | Abbreviation of River on maps, in atlases and footnotes, placed after the name in North American usage (Hudson R.) and before it in British usage (R. |
| Res. | Reservation | Shortens Reservation for American Indian reservations on maps and in documents, as in Navajo Res. or Pine Ridge Res.; informally many Native Americans call their home… |
| SP | State Park | Park managed by a US state, abbreviated SP on maps and signs, as in Custer SP in South Dakota or Valley of Fire SP in Nevada. |
| Spgs. | Springs | Found in names of resort and spa towns built around mineral or hot springs, such as Colorado Spgs., Palm Spgs. or Hot Spgs., Arkansas. |
| SSSI | Site of Special Scientific Interest | Legal conservation designation in Great Britain protecting areas of special wildlife or geological interest; England alone has more than 4,000 SSSIs. |
| St. | Saint | Title for a person formally recognized by the Catholic or Orthodox Church, or honored by Anglican and Lutheran traditions, as holy and in heaven, as in St. |
| Ste. | Sainte | French feminine form of Saint, abbreviated Ste. in place names such as Sault Ste. |
| Str. | Strait | Labels narrow waterways on maps and in atlases, as in Bering Str. or Str. of Gibraltar. |
| Twp. | Township | Local government or survey unit in states such as Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Michigan and Ohio; under the Public Land Survey System a township is a six-mile-square grid… |
| UTM | Universal Transverse Mercator | Global coordinate system that divides Earth into 60 zones, each 6 degrees of longitude wide, and gives positions as eastings and northings in metres. |
| Vly. | Valley | Shortens Valley in place names and on maps, as in Death Vly. or Napa Vly.; USPS uses VLY for the street suffix. |
| WHS | World Heritage Site | Place inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List for outstanding cultural or natural value, such as Machu Picchu or the Great Barrier Reef; the list includes more than… |
| WMA | Wildlife Management Area | State-managed land set aside for wildlife habitat, hunting and fishing, labeled WMA on maps and in hunting regulations. |
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