Geography Exceptions to the Rule

Geography Exceptions to the Rule

Please reference this page for odd or out-dated geographical terms and/or categorizations that you may encounter in the collection.

Mismatched Geography Hierarchy in EMu

Azores: autonomous archipelago of Portugal situated in Macaronesia in the North Atlantic Ocean. Continent: Africa (not Europe), Country: Portugal

Bermuda: country in the Atlantic Ocean. Continent: North America (sometimes miscategorized in West Indies)

Islas Canarias (Canary Islands): autonomous archipelago of Spain situated in Macaronesia in the Atlantic Ocean. Continent: Africa (not Europe), Country: Spain

Easter Island (Rapa Nui, Isla de Pascua): island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean. Continent: Oceania (not South America), Country: Chile, State/Province: Valparaíso

Hawaii: state of the United States of America situated in the Pacific Ocean. Continent: Oceania (not North America), Country: United States of America

Madeira: autonomous archipelago of Portugal situated in Macaronesia in the North Atlantic Ocean. Continent: Africa (not Europe), Country: Portugal

Navassa Island: uninhabited island in the Caribbean, classified as a United States Minor Outlying Islands (the rest of which are in Oceania). Continent: West Indies

Trinidad and Tobago: the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Continent: South America (not West Indies)

Important Hierarchical Variations to Note

United Kingdom: In EMu, the primary administrative subdivision (province/state-level) consists of the four countries of the U.K.: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The secondary administrative subdivision (county-level) reflects the Administrative County, Metropolitan District, Unitary Authority (England); District (Northern Ireland); Council Area (Scotland); and Unitary Authority (Wales).

Brazil: The secondary administrative subdivision (county-level) consists of the municipalities of Brazil, rather than the "Microregions" as cited by Statoids (http://www.statoids.com/ybr.html), as these units "...have no administrative function; they were defined by the federal government for purposes of convenience" (Law, 2007).

Puerto Rico: As a commonwealth associated with the United States, there are no primary administrative subdivisions as defined by the U.S. government. The secondary administrative subdivisions are the municipios (https://welcome.topuertorico.org/government.shtml#:~:text=Administrative%20Divisions%20None%20%28Commonwealth%20associated%20with%20the%20U.S.%29%3B,The%20mayor%20appoints%20a%20secretary-auditor%20and%20a%20treasurer). In EMu, we cite the secondary administrative subdivisions (municipios) as the primary (state/province level), and we cite the tertiary administrative subdivision (barrios) as the secondary administrative subdivisions (county-level), as “the barrios of Puerto Rico are the primary legal divisions of the seventy-eight municipalities of Puerto Rico” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrios_of_Puerto_Rico).

Belgium: The technical primary administrative subdivisions of Belgium are the regions (3): Flanders (Dutch-speaking region), Wallonia (French-speaking region), and Brussels (bilingual Dutch and French), which are then subdivided into provinces. In EMu, we cite the secondary administrative subdivision (provinces) as the primary. Arrondissements are the next sequential administrative level between province and municipality (cited by Statoids as the secondary administrative subdivision, http://www.statoids.com/ybe.html); alternatively, in EMu we cite the municipalities as the second administrative subdivision, disregarding the arrondissements.

Non-exhaustive list of historical country names in relation to present-day names

Abyssinia : Ethiopia

Annam : Vietnam (colonial French term)

Bangal : region consisting of parts of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal

Bohemia : Czech Republic

British Honduras : Belize

British Guiana : Guyana

British North Borneo : Malaysia

Burma : Myanmar

Cambodge : Cambodia

Ceylon : Sri Lanka

Formosa : Taiwan

French Indochina : region consisting of Cambodia, Laos, and parts of China and Vietnam

Hispanola : second largest Caribbean Island divided politically into Haiti (west) and the Dominican Republic (east)

Kaiser-Wilhelmsland: portion of Papua New Guinea

Macedonia : North Macedonia

Moravia : Czech Republic

New Granada : region consisting of Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela

New Hebrides : Vanuatu

New Holland : Australia

Northern Rhodesia : Zambia

Persia : Iran

Siam : Thailand

Southern Rhodesia : Zimbabwe

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

Please email egjieli@nybg.org if you come across other terms that should be added to this list.