Places
naval-history.net Editor's Research Resources for Place Names
Last revision: 18 October 2024

This list of links has been accumulated by editors.
They are used as a source for research whilst editing the official log-books of Royal Navy ships from the World War 1 era, and Arctic voyages of United States vessels from the mid 19th century onwards.

If you want to see something corrected, or add items to the list, drop me .

General
Geographic Geographical Names
Browse global geographical names alphabetically
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
Search the database of the U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency for place names
GeoNames
The GeoNames geographical database covers all countries and contains over eleven million placenames.
Old Weather Tools
A suite of tools which could help determine the position of your favourite Old Weather ship, by Mapurves and Propriome
United States Hydrographic Office – Pilot Guides
A list of links to 19th and 20th century editions of Pilot Guides, covering most of the world
Old Weather Forum – Geographic Help
Tools for finding the names of towns, bays, points, islands, lighthouses and other landmarks
List of Seaports
Wikipedia list of the world's seaports
Naval Maratime Archive
Fishing ports and port registration letters
Place Names Europe
Old Weather Forum – Atlantic Europe (except Greenland)
Atlantic Europe (except Greenland) place names mention in log-books transcribed by the Old Weather project
Old Weather Forum – Greenland
Greenlandic place names mention in log-books transcribed by the Old Weather project
Old Weather Forum – Mediterranean and Black Sea
Mediterranean and Black Sea place names mention in log-books transcribed by the Old Weather project
Place Names North America
Old Weather Forum – United States (non-Alaskan)
United States place names mention in log-books transcribed by the Old Weather project
Old Weather Forum – Alaska
Alaskan place names mention in log-books transcribed by the Old Weather project
Geographic Dictionary of Alaska, 2nd Edition 1906
United States Geological Survey dictionary that lists alphabetically all the published names of geographical features in Alaska
Natural Resources Canada – Geographical Names
Search the Canadian Geographical Names Database (CGNDB)
Old Weather Forum – Canada
Canadian place names mention in log-books transcribed by the Old Weather project
Place Names Central and South America
Old Weather Forum – Latin America and Caribbean
Latin America and Caribbean place names mention in log-books transcribed by the Old Weather project
South America Pilot 1916
Sailing directions for the coasts of South America from Cape San Antonio, the southern entrance of the Plata river, to Corcovado Gulf, on the west coast of Chile
Place Names Africa
Old Weather Forum – West Africa
West African place names mention in log-books transcribed by the Old Weather project
Old Weather Forum – East Africa
East African place names mention in log-books transcribed by the Old Weather project
Place Names Russia
Old Weather Forum – Russia
Russian place names mention in log-books transcribed by the Old Weather project
Place Names Asia
The Place-Names of Anzac
A list of locations, in English and Turkish, from The New Zealanders at Gallipoli
Names of places on the China coast and the Yangtze River
By order of the Shanghai Inspector General of Customs, listing names in English and Chinese and the customs district, prefecture and sub-prefecture it belongs to
Handbook to the West River 1904
A Hong Kong tourist brochure pushing vacation cruises, complete with place names, pictures and a full size map (PDF file)
Old Weather Forum – China Station, Japan, Pacific and Indian Ocean
China Station, Japan, Pacific and Indian Ocean place names mention in log-books transcribed by the Old Weather project
Hoogly River Pilot ca. 1910
Based on a chart and sundry papers formerly belonging to Arthur David Linklater who qualified as a Hooghly Pilot on 28 April 1911
Gazetteer of the Philippine Islands
A pronouncing gazetteer and geographical dictionary of the Philippine Islands, United States of America with maps, charts and illustrations (1902)
The Red Sea and Gulf of Aden Pilot 1900
Containing descriptions of the Suez Canal, the Gulfs of Suez and Akaba, the Red Sea and Strait of Bab-El-Mandeb, the Gulf of Aden with Sokotra and adjacent islands, and part of the eastern coast of Arabia
Old Weather Forum – Arabian Peninsula, Persian Gulf, and Western Indian Ocean
Arabian Peninsula, Persian Gulf, and Western Indian Ocean place names mention in log-books transcribed by the Old Weather project
Wuvulu Website – The Western Islands of the Bismarck Archipelago
A comprehensive, annotated index of current and historical names of all the islands in the Western Islands of the Bismarck Archipelago
Place Names Pacific
Pacific Islands
Locations in the Pacific
Lighthouses
Lighthouse Directory
Providing information and links for more than 18,300 of the world's lighthouses
Lighthouse Digest
Search the Lighthouse Explorer Database, with information about over 8250 lighthouses from all over the world
Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society
The ARLHS World List of Lights contains information on 15,264 Lighthouses in 230 amateur radio call areas
Il faro di Han (Han's lighthouse)
Google Maps with lighthouses for eleven European countries and New Zealand (Italian text)
Trinity House
Trinity House list of lighthouses in the United Kingdom
Lighthouses in Ireland
Wikipedia list of lighthouses in Ireland
Commissioners of Irish Lights
Interactive map of Irish lighthouses and buoys
Lighthouses of China: Hong Kong
Information on all the lighthouses of Hong Kong harbour
Lighthouses of Québec, Canada
A map by "La route des Phares du Québec" showing all lighthouses of Québec, Canada (French text)
Lighthouses of Brazil
Extensive list of lighthouses in Brazil
Map of New Zealand Lights
Map of lights and beacons around New Zealand (PDF file)
Lighthouses and lightvessels in the world
Wikipedia list of lighthouses and lightvessels in the world
Lightvessels
Trinity House
Trinity House list of lightvessels in the United Kingdom
Lightvessels in the UK
Wikipedia list of lightvessels in the United Kingdom, including the Channel Islands and Gibraltar
Lightvessels in Ireland
Wikipedia list of lightvessels in Ireland
Lighthouses and lightvessels in the world
Wikipedia list of lighthouses and lightvessels in the world
Maps and Charts
Google Maps
Provides directions, interactive maps, and satellite/aerial imagery of many countries
Bing Maps
View an interactive map and satellite photos, and aerial maps
Mapcarta
Mapcarta, travel brought to life
British Coast Maps
Maps of the entire coastline of Great Britain from Shetland to Land's End
National Library of Scotland Map Images
Access high-resolution zoomable images of over 140,000 maps of Scotland, England, Wales and beyond
Geographic Nautical Charts U.S.A.
NOAA's 2,000-plus U.S. coastal and Great Lakes nautical charts
Nautical Charts Online
NOAA and international navigation charts with search function
Nautical Free
Online free nautical charts and publications from all over the world (mixed languages)
Historical Maps and Charts
Old Maps Online
Discovering the Cartography of the Past; an easy gateway to historical maps in libraries around the world
Map Collection Charles University
Geographic search in the map collection of the Charles University (Prague, Czech Republic)
naval-history.net - Campaign and Battle Maps of World War 1
Outstanding resource put together by Gordon Smith, from mainly contemporary sources
WW1 Archive - British Empire Dockyards and Ports, 1909
These plans of the many British Empire dockyards and ports are from the Dock Book, June 1909, published by the British Admiralty "For the Information of Officers in H. M. Service Only."
A Vision of Britain Through Time
A vision of Britain between 1801 and 2001, including historical maps
David Rumsey Map Collection
Browse the David Rumsey historical map collection by category
University of Texas – World Map 1913
International Map of the World 1:1,000,000
University of Texas – Historical Maps
Perry-Castañeda Library Historical Map Collection
NOAA's Historical Map & Chart Collection
Covers the land and waters of the United States of America, including territories and possessions (past and present)
USGS TopoView
TopoView shows the many and varied older maps of each area, and so is especially useful for historical purposes
Digital Commonwealth – Massachusetts Collections Online
Explore historical maps from libraries, museums, and archives across Massachusetts
National Library of Scotland – Charts of Scotland, 1795-1963
National Library of Scotland's collection of Admiralty Charts of Scottish coasts, 1795-1963
New South Wales State Library – World War 1 Maps
Explore the extensive collection of maps the Library has been acquiring since the end of the War, including many Dardanelles maps
Historical Maps of Singapore
Maps from 1846 to 2019, digitised by the Department of Geography, National University of Singapore
Probert Encyclopedia – Archaic Maps
Maps of the world at different points in time (The Probert Encyclopedia is no longer online, the link leads to an archived version)