The Place Names of Franz Josef Land: A workshop on the historical geography of an archipelago of polar explorers

This award will support a workshop to develop a historical gazetteer on Franz Josef Land. Such a gazetteer is essentially a document of accurate place names and historical data that will synthesize 139 years of expedition accounts into a single source of historical geographic data. The workshop will bring together key international researchers from the US and Europe, whose work has documented the history of exploration in the islands of Franz Josef Land, to develop international toponymic (place name) guidelines. Four undergraduate students will also attend. Defining both the derivations of historical place names, as well as identifying consistent practices in the use of current place names, will contribute to the utility of scientific observations in this region.

The broader significance of the project is the development of international standards for place names and historical geographic research in the region. The project the participation of US undergraduates will contribute to training the next generation of geographic scholars. The results of the workshop will contribute to the development of a scientifically sound historical gazetteer for use by future scientific researchers (geographers, ethnographers, ethnohistorians, biologists, natural historians, archaeologists, etc.).