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Named Features from the Geographic Names Information System

Attribute Value Definition of Attribute Value
airport manmade facility maintained for the use of aircraft (airfield, airstrip, landing field, landing strip)
arch natural arch-like opening in a rock mass (bridge, natural bridge, sea arch)
area any one of several areally extensive natural features not included in other categories (badlands, barren, delta, fan, garden)
arroyo watercourse or channel through which water may occasionally flow (coulee, draw, gully, wash)
bar natural accumulation of sand, gravel, or alluvium forming an underwater or exposed embankment (ledge, reef, sandbar, shoal, spit)
basin natural depression or relatively low area enclosed by higher land (amphitheater, cirque, pit, sink)
bay indentation of a coastline or shoreline enclosing a part of a body of water; a body of water partly surrounded by land (arm, bight, cove, estuary, gulf, inlet, sound)
beach the sloping shore along a body of water that is washed by waves or tides and is usually covered by sand or gravel (coast, shore, strand)
bench area of relatively level land on the flank of an elevation such as a hill, ridge, or mountain where the slope of the land rises on one side and descends on the opposite side
bend curve in the course of a stream and (or) the land within the curve; a curve in a linear body of water (bottom, loop, meander)
bridge manmade structure carrying a trail, road, or other transportation system across a body of water or depression (causeway, overpass, trestle)
building a manmade structure with walls and a roof for protection of people and (or) materials, but not including church, hospital, or school
canal manmade waterway used by watercraft or for drainage, irrigation, mining, or water power (ditch, lateral)
cape projection of land extending into a body of water (lea, neck, peninsula, point)
cemetery a place or area for burying the dead (burial, burying ground, grave, memorial garden)
channel linear deep part of a body of water through which the main volume of water flows and is frequently used as aroute for watercraft (passage, reach, strait, thoroughfare, throughfare)
church building used for religious worship (chapel, mosque, synagogue, tabernacle, temple)
civil political division formed for administrative purposes (borough, county, municipio, parish, town, township)
cliff very steep or vertical slope (bluff, crag, head, headland, nose, palisades, precipice, promontory, rim, rimrock)
crater circular-shaped depression at the summit of a volcanic cone or one on the surface of the land caused by the impact of a meteorite; a manmade depression caused by an explosion (caldera, lua)
crossing a place where two or more routes of transportation form a junction or intersection (overpass, underpass)
dam water barrier or embankment built across the course of a stream or into a body of water to control and (or) impound the flow of water (breakwater, dike, jetty)
falls perpendicular or very steep fall of water in the course of a stream (cascade, cataract, waterfall)
flat relative level area within a region of greater relief (clearing, glade, playa)
forest bounded area of woods, forest, or grassland under the administration of a political agency (see "woods") (national forest, national grasslands, State forest)
gap low point or opening between hills or mountains or in a ridge or mountain range (col, notch, pass, saddle, water gap, wind gap)
glacier body or stream of ice moving outward and downslope from an area of accumulation; an area of relatively permanent snow or ice on the top or side of a mountain or mountainous area (icefield, ice patch, snow patch)
gut relatively small coastal waterway connecting larger bodies of water or other waterways (creek, inlet, slough)
harbor sheltered area of water where ships or other watercraft can anchor or dock (hono, port, roads, roadstead)
hospital building where the sick or injured may receive medical or surgical attention (infirmary)
island area of dry or relatively dry land surrounded by water or low wetland (archipelago, atoll, cay, hammock, hummock, isla, isle, key, moku, rock)
lake natural body of inland water (backwater, lac, lagoon, laguna, pond, pool, resaca, waterhole)
levee natural or manmade embankment flanking a stream (bank, berm)
locale place at which there is or was human activity; it does not include populated places, mines, and dams (battlefield, crossroad, camp, farm, ghost town, landing, railroad siding, ranch, ruins, site, station, windmill)
military (historical) place or facility formerly used for various aspects of or relating to military activity
mine place or area from which commercial minerals are or were removed from the Earth; not including oilfield (pit, quarry, shaft)
oilfield area where petroleum is or was removed from the Earth
park place or area set aside for recreation or preservation of a cultural or natural resource and under some form of government administration; not including National or State forests or Reserves (national historical landmark, national park, State park, wilderness area)
pillar vertical, standing, often spire-shaped, natural rock formation (chimney, monument, pinnacle, pohaku, rock tower)
plain a region of general uniform slope, comparatively level and of considerable extent (grassland, highland, kula, plateau, upland)
populated place place or area with clustered or scattered buildings and a permanent human population (city, settlement, town, village
post office an official facility of the U.S. Postal Service used for processing and distributing mail and other postal material
range chain of hills or mountains; a somewhat linear, complex mountainous or hilly area (cordillera, sierra)
rapids fast-flowing section of a stream, often shallow and with exposed rock or boulders (riffle, ripple)
reserve a tract of land set aside for a specific use (does not include forests, civil divisions, parks)
reservoir artificially impounded body of water (lake, tank)
ridge elevation with a narrow, elongated crest which can be part of a hill or mountain (crest, cuesta, escarpment, hogback, lae, rim, spur)
school building or group of buildings used as an institution for study, teaching, and learning (academy, college, high school, university)
slope a gently inclined part of the Earth's surface (grade, pitch)
spring place where underground water flows naturally to the surface of the Earth (seep)
stream linear body of water flowing on the Earth's surface (anabranch, awawa, bayou, branch, brook, creek, distributary, fork, kill, pup, rio, river, run, slough)
summit prominent elevation rising above the surrounding level of the Earth's surface; does not include pillars, ridges, or ranges (ahu, berg, bald, butte, cerro, colina, cone, cumbre, dome, head, hill, horn, knob, knoll, mauna, mesa, mesita, mound, mount, mountain, peak, puu, rock, sugarloaf, table, volcano)
swamp poorly drained wetland, fresh or saltwater, wooded or grassy, possibly covered with open water (bog, cienega, marais, marsh, pocosin)
tower a manmade structure, higher than its diameter, generally used for observation, storage, or electronic transmission
trail route for passage from one point to another; does not include roads or highways (jeep trail, path, ski trail)
tunnel linear underground passageway open at both ends
valley linear depression in the Earth's surface that generally slopes from one end to the other (barranca, canyon, chasm, cove, draw, glen, gorge, gulch, gulf, hollow, ravine)
well manmade shaft or hole in the Earth's surface used to obtain fluid or gaseous materials