SCUFN

Objectives
The objectives of the Sub-Committee are to;

• select undersea feature names define when appropriate the extent of named features;
• provide advice to individuals and appropriate authorities on the selection of undersea feature names in international waters and, on request, in waters under national jurisdiction
• encourage the establishment of national boards of geographical names and undersea features, and when such a board does not exist for a given coastal state, co-operate in the naming of seafloor features related to those national waters;
• prepare and maintain international gazetteers and supplements of undersea feature names;
• encourage the use of undersea feature names shown on GEBCO products, on other maps, charts, scientific publications, and documents by promulgating them widely;
• prepare and maintain internationally agreed guidelines for the standardization of undersea feature names and encourage their use;
• review and address the need for revised or additional terms and definitions for submarine topographic features.
• maintain close liaison with the UN Group of Experts on Geographical Names and international or national authorities concerned with the naming of undersea features.

Documents & Resources

With the opening of the new IHO Portal (Ref. IHO CL44/2024), all resources are now only available via the SCUFN section of the IHO Portal.

To access the SCUFN section's content, you will need:

• to create an account on the IHO portal
• to join the SCUFN community (see 'members' tab to apply)

Next Meeting

The 38th SCUFN Meeting will take place in Bali (Indonesia) from 11 to 14 November 2025.

Meeting registration and documents available here.

GEBCO