Place names : how they define the world-- and more / Richard R. Randall.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 191-195) and index.

-- Shortened Versions of Organization Names -- The Nature of a Place Name -- What Is a Place Name? -- Definition and Function -- Origins of Place Names -- Categories of Place Names -- Regional Names -- International Regional Names -- Regional Names within Countries -- Large Bodies of Water -- Maps Say Little without Place Names -- Purposes of a Map -- Map Characteristics -- Mapping Techniques -- U.S. Mapping Agencies -- Commercial Maps -- Ecology and Maps -- How Place Names Affect Us -- How Place Names Communicate -- Inform Us about Our World -- Identify Aspects of Our Lives -- Provide Historical Information -- Describe the Nature of Terrain -- Common Words -- Animal Names -- Family Names -- Automobile Names -- Food and Beverage Names -- Railroad Names -- Mineral Names -- Place Names and the Arts -- Literature -- Music -- Paintings and Photographs -- Place Names Are Not Permanent -- Where in the World Is That Place? -- Names in the Headlines -- The Iron Curtain Is Lifted -- The Former Yugoslavia -- Other Countries Changed Names -- Names in the Middle East -- Names in Southeast Asia -- The Persian Gulf or the Arabian Gulf -- A Case of Names in Headlines of the Past -- Names in Future Headlines -- Names in Multilingual Countries -- Different Languages, Different Names -- How Many Languages Are There? -- Examples of Differing Place Names -- Efforts to End the Confusion -- Countries Recognize the Problem -- The Situation in the United States -- Creation of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.