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 Geographic Hierarchy 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

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.

Historical Locality Names and Present-Day Equivalents

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

Dutch Guiana: Suriname

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

Lower California: Baja California, Mexico

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

Swaziland: Eswatini

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

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