English conventional names
Updated 24 February 2015
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English conventional names are recognised English language forms of foreign geographical names, such as Moscow, Cologne or Rome.
The use of these names depends very much on the preference of the user and the context in which they are to be encountered. As a general guide, Permanent Committee on Geographical Names (PCGN) would recommend the use of English names in the following cases:
- for names of features beyond any sovereignty, eg South China Sea, Atlantic Ocean, so as not to attribute sovereignty to any one country
- for names of features beyond a single sovereignty (ie. shared/divided), eg Danube, Alps, so as not to attribute sovereignty to one country, local spellings can also be shown
- established conventional names, eg Munich, Vienna, can also be used in English language texts, or on small-scale mapping
- for most large scale maps, local forms should be used
- for country names, eg. Germany not Deutschland, as these names form part of the vocabulary of the English language
However, PCGN does not support the preservation of obsolete conventionals, eg. Lyons, Leghorn. As English language changes, so certain names go out of use.