Geographical names in public administration

Abstract

Geographical names in public administration  

The paper reviews the areas in which public administration plays or should play a role in the formation, registration or the appropriate use of geographical names, mentioning the relevant legal environment. Illustrative name examples taken from the registers of the central areas or the outskirts of populated places (parts of settlements, addresses), national parks, rivers and caves show that the linguistic-orthographic or cultural aspects of establishing geographical names, or deciding the spelling of name forms – and because of which government regulations require the cooperation of an expert body in the name giving process – are not applicable in all cases. The author also discusses the spread of and dangers connect to the superficial use or abuse of geographical names in the digital world. The author emphasizes that the appropriate and standardized use of geographical names is, in fact, a common interest in many fields of life, and could also be effectively promoted by public administration.