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Names of Ashoka Seamount, Chandragupta Ridge and Kalpataru Ridge in the Indian Ocean have been approved by IHO and UNESCO’s IOC.
- These structures are located along Southwest Indian Ridge.
- They were discovered by National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research.
Naming of Undersea Feature
- Outside Territorial Sea:
- Individuals and agencies can propose names for unnamed features, following IHO’s 2013 guidelines ‘‘Standardization of Undersea Feature Name”.
- Before naming of a feature, its character, extent, and position must be identified.
- Proposals are reviewed by IHO Sub-Committee on Undersea Feature Names (SCUFN).
- Within Territorial Sea: National authorities naming features in their territorial sea should adhere to the same 2013 IHO guidelines.
About IHO and IOC
- International Hydrographic Organization (IHO)
- Established in 1921.
- An intergovernmental body (India a member).
- Enjoys observer status at the UN.
- Recognized as competent international authority regarding hydrography and nautical charting.
- Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC)
- Established in 1961.
- Promotes international cooperation in marine sciences.
- GEBCO: General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO) is an IHO & IOC UNESCO joint project to collect bathymetric data and map the oceans
- GEBCO -SCUFN maintains and makes available a digital gazetteer of the names, generic feature types, etc.
