Geography Exceptions to the Rule: Difference between revisions

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<span style="font-size:small;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">A running list of geography odd&nbsp;situations and special cases that we come across in EMu</span></span>
==Geography Exceptions to the Rule==


Please refer to this page for unusual or outdated geographic terms and geographic hierarchies that you may encounter in EMu collection records.




== '''<span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-8d8707e1-7fff-e8d6-451e-6e7f97c98240"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mismatched Geography Hierarchy in EMu</span></span></span></span>''' ==
=== <u>Geographic Hierarchy Variations in EMu</u> ===


<font color="#000000" face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">First administrative division level (province/state):</font>
<br>


*<span style="font-size:small;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Canary Islands - Country: Spain, Continent: Africa (not Europe)</span></span></span></span>
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto"
*<span style="font-size:small;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color:#000000;">Hawaii -&nbsp;<span id="docs-internal-guid-89fa1147-7fff-2df4-2532-aea09af011c9"><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Country: U.S.A, Continent: Oceania (not North America)</span></span></span></span></span>
|+
|-
! Currently accepted name !! Administrative subdivision level !! EMu geographic hierarchy placement !! Issue/Note
|-
| Azores || Country || <B>Continent: Africa</B>; Country: Portugal || Portuguese autonomous archipelago in Macaronesia; may be incorrectly assigned to Europe based on political affiliation with Portugal.
|-
| Bermuda|| Country || <B>Continent: North America</B>; Country: Bermuda || Atlantic island territory; sometimes miscategorized as part of the West Indies.
|-
| Hawaii || Province/State/Territory || <B>Continent: Oceania</B>; Country: United States of America || U.S. state situated in the Pacific Ocean. Place under Oceania, not North America.
|-
| Islas Canarias (Canary Islands)|| Country || <B>Continent: Africa</B>; Country: Spain|| Spanish autonomous archipelago in Macaronesia; may be incorrectly assigned to Europe based on political affiliation with Spain.
|-
| Isla de Pascua (Easter Island, Rapa Nui) || District/County/Shire || <B>Continent: Oceania</B>; Country: Chile; Province/State/Territory: Valparaíso || Island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean. Place under Oceania, not South America.
|-
| Hawaii || Province/State/Territory || <B>Continent: Oceania</B>; Country: United States of America || U.S. state situated in the Pacific Ocean. Place under Oceania, not North America.
|-
| Madeira || Province/State/Territory || <B>Continent: Africa</B>; Country: Portugal || Autonomous archipelago of Portugal situated in Macaronesia in the North Atlantic Ocean. Place under Africa, not Europe.


|-
| Navassa Island || Province/State/Territory || <B>Continent: West Indies</B>; Country: United States Minor Outlying Islands || Uninhabited Caribbean island classified among the United States Minor Outlying Islands, most of which are in Oceania. Navassa Island itself should be placed under West Indies.


|-
| Trinidad and Tobago || Country || <B>Continent: South America</B>; Country: Trinidad and Tobago || Southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Place under South America, not West Indies.


<span style="font-size:small;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Country level:</span></span></span></span>
|}
<br>


*<span style="font-size:small;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-ae6988b7-7fff-6670-baf5-2b78162ad2e5"><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Trinidad and Tobago -</span></span><span id="docs-internal-guid-4ca8c78b-7fff-8a3a-f647-36270fca41be"><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Continent: South America</span></span>&nbsp;(not West Indies)</span></span></span>
=== <u>Important Hierarchical Variations to Note</u> ===
*<span style="font-size:small;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color:#000000;">Bermuda - Continent: North America (might be assumed to be West Indies)&nbsp;</span></span></span>
The geographic hierarchy used in EMu does not always correspond directly to the official or commonly cited administrative hierarchy of a country or territory. The following exceptions and conventions should be used when entering geographic information in EMu.


== <span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-98ba40ff-7fff-b375-f895-ba1ab23d2933"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Geography Hierarchy in EMu that differs from Statoids</span></span></span> ==
<br>
<div>
<span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-size:small;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></span></span></span>


*<span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-size:small;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-2bf54281-7fff-e703-2572-bbdfbdb1d52c"><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">United Kingdom: Province/state level (primary administrative division) does not match Statoids. Province/state look up list consists of the four countries of the United Kingdom, England, North Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, rather than the primary administrative division list provided on Statoids. Alternatively, use the Statoid's primary administrative division list as the secondary administrative division in EMu, according to country.</span></span></span></span></span>
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto"
*<span style="font-size:small;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color:#000000;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-2bf54281-7fff-e703-2572-bbdfbdb1d52c"><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Brazil: District/county (second administrative division) does not match Statoids. Statoids presents Brazil's "microregions" as the second administrative divisons, which "...</span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); word-spacing: 1.65937px;">have no administrative function; they were defined by the federal government for purposes of convenience" (Law, 2007). Alternatively, the district/county look up list follows the Wikipedia page "List of municipalities of Brazil" according to state (</span>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_municipalities_of_Brazil https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_municipalities_of_Brazil]).</span></span>


! Province/State/Territory !! Geographic Hierarchy !! EMu Geographic Hierarchy Placement !! Notes
|-
| United Kingdom || The United Kingdom consists of four constituent countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Below this level, administrative divisions differ among the four countries. || <b>Primary (State/Province):</b> England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales
<b>Secondary (County):</b> Administrative County, Metropolitan District, or Unitary Authority (England); District (Northern Ireland); Council Area (Scotland); Unitary Authority (Wales)
|| Because the administrative systems differ across the four constituent countries, the type of division entered at the county level varies.
|-
| Brazil || States are divided into municipalities. || <b>Primary (State/Province):</b> State
<b>Secondary (County):</b> Municipality
|| In EMu, municipalities are used for the secondary (county-level) division rather than the microregions cited by Statoids (Law, 2015), as microregions were statistical/geographic groupings rather than administrative units.
|-
| Puerto Rico || Puerto Rico is divided into 78 municipalities (municipios), which are further divided into barrios. || <b>Primary (State/Province):</b> Municipio
<b>Secondary (County):</b> Barrio
|| Because EMu requires hierarchical placement at the state/province and county levels, municipios and barrios are shifted upward in the EMu hierarchy.
|-
| Belgium || Region > Province > Arrondissement > Municipality || <b>Primary (State/Province):</b> Province
<b>Secondary (County):</b> Municipality
|| EMu omits the regional and arrondissement levels for this purpose. Provinces are therefore entered at the state/province level and municipalities at the county level.
|}


<br>


=== <u>Historical Locality Names and Present-Day Equivalents</u> ===
<br>


{| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto"
|+
|-
! Alternate names !! Currently accepted name
|-
| Abyssinia || Ethiopia
|-
| Annam || Vietnam
|-
| Bengal || Region consisting of parts of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal
|-
| Basutoland || Lesotho
|-
| Bechuanaland || Botswana
|-
| Belgian Congo || Democratic Republic of the Congo
|-
| Bohemia || Czech Republic
|-
| British Honduras || Belize
|-
| British Guiana || Guyana
|-
| British North Borneo || Malaysia
|-
| Burma || Myanmar
|-
| Cambodge || Cambodia
|-
| Celebes || Sulawesi, Indonesia
|-
| Ceylon || Sri Lanka
|-
| Dahomey || Benin
|-
| Dutch East Indies || Indonesia (primarily)
|-
| Dutch Guiana || Suriname
|-
| East Pakistan || Bangladesh
|-
| East Prussia || Parts of Russia, Poland, and Lithuania
|-
| Formosa || Taiwan
|-
| French Indochina || Region consisting of Cambodia, Laos, and parts of China and Vietnam
|-
| French West Africa || Region of several present-day West African countries
|-
| Gold Coast || Ghana
|-
| Hispaniola || Second largest Caribbean Island divided politically into Haiti (west) and the Dominican Republic (east)
|-
| Île Bourbon || Réunion, France
|-
| Kaiser-Wilhelmsland || Portion of Papua New Guinea
|-
| Kamerun || Primarily Cameroon; portions now in neighboring countries
|-
|Lower California || Baja California, Mexico
|-
| Macedonia || Region encompassing parts of present-day North Macedonia, Greece, and Bulgaria
|-
| Malaya || Primarily Peninsular Malaysia
|-
| New Granada || Region consisting of Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela
|-
| New Hebrides || Vanuatu
|-
| New Holland || Australia
|-
| Northern Rhodesia || Zambia
|-
| Nyasaland || Malawi
|-
| Persia || Iran
|-
| Portuguese East Africa || Mozambique
|-
| Prussia || Parts of modern Germany, Poland, Russia, Lithuania, and other areas
|-
| Siam || Thailand
|-
| South West Africa || Namibia
|-
| Southern Rhodesia || Zimbabwe
|-
| Swaziland || Eswatini
|-
| Tanganyika || Tanzania
|-
| Tonkin/Tongkin/Tongquin || Exonym referring to northern region of Vietnam
|-
| Yugoslavia || Region consisting of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Slovenia
|-
| Zaire || Democratic Republic of the Congo
|-
| Zanzibar || Tanzania
|-
|}


 
This list is non-exhaustive. If you come across additional terms that should be included, please email Liz at egjieli@nybg.org.
</div>
 
== <span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-f43015a3-7fff-098c-4328-c35eb1fa0c51"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Countries: Historical versus Current Day Name</span></span></span></span> ==
 
<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">Abyssinia = Ethiopia</span>
 
<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">Annam = Vietnam (colonial French term)</span>
 
<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bohemia = Czech Republic</span>
 
<span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-size:small;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-f43015a3-7fff-098c-4328-c35eb1fa0c51"><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">British Honduras = Belize</span></span></span></span></span>
 
<span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-size:small;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-f43015a3-7fff-098c-4328-c35eb1fa0c51"><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">British Guiana = Guyana</span></span></span></span></span>
 
<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">British North Borneo = Malaysia</span>
 
<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">British West Indies = Bahamas</span>
 
<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">Burma = Myanmar</span>
 
<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ceylon = Sri Lanka</span>
 
<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">Formosa = Taiwan</span>
 
<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">French Indochina = Vietnam</span>
 
<span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-size:small;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-f43015a3-7fff-098c-4328-c35eb1fa0c51"><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hispanola</span></span><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">= largest island in the Caribbean, divided</span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:small;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: rgb(32, 33, 36);">politically into&nbsp;Haiti (west) and the Dominican Republic (east)&nbsp;</span></span></span>
 
<span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-size:small;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Macedonia = North Macedonia</span></span></span></span></span>
 
<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">Moravia = Czech Republic</span>
 
<span style="font-size:small;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-f43015a3-7fff-098c-4328-c35eb1fa0c51"><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">New Granada = </span><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">&nbsp;region consisting of Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela</span></span></span></span></span>
 
<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">New Holland </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">= </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Australia</span>
 
<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">Northern Rhodesia = Zambia</span>
 
<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-f43015a3-7fff-098c-4328-c35eb1fa0c51"><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Persia = Iran</span></span></span></span></span>
 
<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">Siam = Thailand</span>
 
<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; white-space: pre-wrap;">Southern Rhodesia = Zimbabwe</span>
 
<span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-size:small;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-f43015a3-7fff-098c-4328-c35eb1fa0c51"><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Zaire = Democratic Republic of the Congo</span></span></span></span></span>
<div><br/></div><br/>

Latest revision as of 21:44, 5 November 2026

Geography Exceptions to the Rule

Please refer to this page for unusual or outdated geographic terms and geographic hierarchies that you may encounter in EMu collection records.


Geographic Hierarchy Variations in EMu


Currently accepted name Administrative subdivision level EMu geographic hierarchy placement Issue/Note
Azores Country Continent: Africa; Country: Portugal Portuguese autonomous archipelago in Macaronesia; may be incorrectly assigned to Europe based on political affiliation with Portugal.
Bermuda Country Continent: North America; Country: Bermuda Atlantic island territory; sometimes miscategorized as part of the West Indies.
Hawaii Province/State/Territory Continent: Oceania; Country: United States of America U.S. state situated in the Pacific Ocean. Place under Oceania, not North America.
Islas Canarias (Canary Islands) Country Continent: Africa; Country: Spain Spanish autonomous archipelago in Macaronesia; may be incorrectly assigned to Europe based on political affiliation with Spain.
Isla de Pascua (Easter Island, Rapa Nui) District/County/Shire Continent: Oceania; Country: Chile; Province/State/Territory: Valparaíso Island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean. Place under Oceania, not South America.
Hawaii Province/State/Territory Continent: Oceania; Country: United States of America U.S. state situated in the Pacific Ocean. Place under Oceania, not North America.
Madeira Province/State/Territory Continent: Africa; Country: Portugal Autonomous archipelago of Portugal situated in Macaronesia in the North Atlantic Ocean. Place under Africa, not Europe.
Navassa Island Province/State/Territory Continent: West Indies; Country: United States Minor Outlying Islands Uninhabited Caribbean island classified among the United States Minor Outlying Islands, most of which are in Oceania. Navassa Island itself should be placed under West Indies.
Trinidad and Tobago Country Continent: South America; Country: Trinidad and Tobago Southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Place under South America, not West Indies.


Important Hierarchical Variations to Note

The geographic hierarchy used in EMu does not always correspond directly to the official or commonly cited administrative hierarchy of a country or territory. The following exceptions and conventions should be used when entering geographic information in EMu.


Province/State/Territory Geographic Hierarchy EMu Geographic Hierarchy Placement Notes
United Kingdom The United Kingdom consists of four constituent countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Below this level, administrative divisions differ among the four countries. Primary (State/Province): England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales

Secondary (County): Administrative County, Metropolitan District, or Unitary Authority (England); District (Northern Ireland); Council Area (Scotland); Unitary Authority (Wales)

Because the administrative systems differ across the four constituent countries, the type of division entered at the county level varies.
Brazil States are divided into municipalities. Primary (State/Province): State

Secondary (County): Municipality

In EMu, municipalities are used for the secondary (county-level) division rather than the microregions cited by Statoids (Law, 2015), as microregions were statistical/geographic groupings rather than administrative units.
Puerto Rico Puerto Rico is divided into 78 municipalities (municipios), which are further divided into barrios. Primary (State/Province): Municipio

Secondary (County): Barrio

Because EMu requires hierarchical placement at the state/province and county levels, municipios and barrios are shifted upward in the EMu hierarchy.
Belgium Region > Province > Arrondissement > Municipality Primary (State/Province): Province

Secondary (County): Municipality

EMu omits the regional and arrondissement levels for this purpose. Provinces are therefore entered at the state/province level and municipalities at the county level.


Historical Locality Names and Present-Day Equivalents


Alternate names Currently accepted name
Abyssinia Ethiopia
Annam Vietnam
Bengal Region consisting of parts of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal
Basutoland Lesotho
Bechuanaland Botswana
Belgian Congo Democratic Republic of the Congo
Bohemia Czech Republic
British Honduras Belize
British Guiana Guyana
British North Borneo Malaysia
Burma Myanmar
Cambodge Cambodia
Celebes Sulawesi, Indonesia
Ceylon Sri Lanka
Dahomey Benin
Dutch East Indies Indonesia (primarily)
Dutch Guiana Suriname
East Pakistan Bangladesh
East Prussia Parts of Russia, Poland, and Lithuania
Formosa Taiwan
French Indochina Region consisting of Cambodia, Laos, and parts of China and Vietnam
French West Africa Region of several present-day West African countries
Gold Coast Ghana
Hispaniola Second largest Caribbean Island divided politically into Haiti (west) and the Dominican Republic (east)
Île Bourbon Réunion, France
Kaiser-Wilhelmsland Portion of Papua New Guinea
Kamerun Primarily Cameroon; portions now in neighboring countries
Lower California Baja California, Mexico
Macedonia Region encompassing parts of present-day North Macedonia, Greece, and Bulgaria
Malaya Primarily Peninsular Malaysia
New Granada Region consisting of Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela
New Hebrides Vanuatu
New Holland Australia
Northern Rhodesia Zambia
Nyasaland Malawi
Persia Iran
Portuguese East Africa Mozambique
Prussia Parts of modern Germany, Poland, Russia, Lithuania, and other areas
Siam Thailand
South West Africa Namibia
Southern Rhodesia Zimbabwe
Swaziland Eswatini
Tanganyika Tanzania
Tonkin/Tongkin/Tongquin Exonym referring to northern region of Vietnam
Yugoslavia Region consisting of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Slovenia
Zaire Democratic Republic of the Congo
Zanzibar Tanzania

This list is non-exhaustive. If you come across additional terms that should be included, please email Liz at egjieli@nybg.org.

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