The Geographic Names Information System contains information about physical geographic features of all types in the United States, associated areas, and Antarctica, current and historical, but not including cultural features, roads and highways. The database holds the Federally recognized name of each feature and defines the feature location by state, county, USGS topographic map, and geographic coordinates. Other attributes include names or spellings other than the official name, feature designations, feature classification, historical and descriptive information. The database assigns a unique, permanent feature identifier, the Feature ID, as a standard Federal key for accessing, integrating, or reconciling feature data from multiple data sets. The GNIS provides data to all levels of government and to the public, as well as to numerous applications through a web query site and file download services.
