Article 1


These Regulations are established in accordance with Paragraph 2, Article 29 of the Land Surveying and Mapping Act (hereinafter referred to as the Act).


Article 2


The definitions of the terms used in these Regulations are as follows:
1. Settlements: Refers to a region formed based on humanistic features, historical features or local characteristics.
2. Physical geographic features: Refers to terrain formed by natural action.
3. Public facilities that serve as landmarks: Refers to administration, transportation, water resources, electric power, living, industry, culture, education or recreation public facilities that serve as geographic landmarks.


Article 3


Standardized geographic names shall be established for the name of the places with geographic, historic, linguistic, traditional, aboriginal tribe culture or local features which are used by all of the government authorities.


Article 4


Standardized geographic names shall be established in the Chinese language. For those names not represented in characters, suitable Chinese characters shall be chosen based upon its phonetic spelling.


Article 5


The standardized geographic names of villages, streets, settlements, Physical geographic features and public facilities that serve as landmarks within the jurisdiction of townships(cities, districts) shall not be identical.


Article 6


The procedure for the establishment of standardized geographic names by the municipal, county(city) competent authorities is as follows:
1. Check existing geographic names.
2. Announce the following items. The announcement period is 30 days.
(1)List of the geographic names possessing the characteristics stipulated in Article 3.
(2)Persons or groups may provide opinions by submitting their name, address, fact and reason in written form along with relevant information within the stipulated period to the competent authorities.
(3)Opinion submission Period.
3. Review and announcement.
The municipal, county(city) competent authorities shall set a certain period for the checking under the first Paragraph. The county competent authorities shall solicit the opinion of the township(city) governments.
The standardized geographic names of administrative regions, streets and public facilities that serve as landmarks do not have to pass through the review procedure stipulated in Subparagraph3, Paragraph1.


Article 7


The municipal, county(city) competent authorities could appoint scholars, experts, local persons familiar with the historical background of geographic names, and representatives of related organizations and civic groups to review the establishment and change of standardized geographic names and other items related to standardized geographic names.


Article 8


The municipal, county(city) competent authorities shall announce those geographic names that have passed review, reached agreement or gained approval from the central competent authority. Relevant authorities shall also be informed.
The announcement in the preceding paragraph shall be posted at suitable locations where the geographic name is and announcement sites of related municipal, county(city) competent authorities, township(city, district) governments and village offices. The period of announcement shall be no less than one month.
The provisions in the preceding paragraph shall apply to the announcement of standardized geographic names of administrative regions and streets.


Article 9


In the event that the establishment of standardized geographic names violates these Regulations or provisions of other laws, the central competent authority shall order the municipal, county(city) competent authority of the standardized geographic name to make the correction within a three-month period.
The municipal, county(city) competent authority shall submit the corrected standardized geographic name to the central competent authority for recordation.


Article 10


The standardized geographic name shall not be changed after it is established. This shall not apply to the restoration of aboriginal traditional names, other specific reasons or those names that violate Article 5.
The change of the standardized geographic names in the preceding paragraph shall apply to the establishment procedure for standardized geographic names.


Article 11


Geographic names shall be divided into the following categories, assigned geographic name codes and catalogued for file management by the jurisdictional competent authorities.
1. Administrative regions
2. Settlements
3. Physical geographic features
4. Public facilities that serve as landmarks
5. Streets
6. Other
The geographic name data prescribed in the preceding paragraph shall be presented in the Chinese language. The format is provided in the attached form.

Attached Form Municipal, county(city), township(city, district) geographic name form.doc


Article 12


The respective competent authorities shall update geographic name data when there is a change in a geographic name.


Article 13


The geographic name data established by municipal, county(city) competent authorities shall be submitted to the central competent authority for recordation. Updated data shall also be submitted in the same manner.


Article 14


These Regulations shall become effective on the date of promulgation.