Nautical Chart Symbols, Abbreviations and Terms
Chart No. 1: Nautical Chart Symbols, Abbreviations and Terms is a reference publication depicting basic chart elements and explains nautical chart symbols and abbreviations associated with NOAA and NGA charts. It is a valuable aid for new chart users and a useful tool for all mariners. Chart No. 1 is no longer available in print, but users are welcome to download and print a copy from the NOAA link above.
Hard copy versions of Chart No. 1 may be purchased from commercial vendors. The Tenth Edition dated November 1997 is the current edition number.
Chart No. 1 is organized according to subject matter, with each specific subject given a letter designator. The general subject areas are General, Topography, Hydrography, Aids and Services, and Indexes. Under each heading, letter designators further define subject areas, and individual numbers refer to specific symbols. Information in Chart No. 1 is arranged in columns. The first column contains the IHO number code for the symbol in question. The next two columns show the symbol itself, in NOS and NGA formats. If the formats are the same, the two columns are combined into one. The next column is a text description of the symbol, term, or abbreviation. The next column contains the IHO standard symbol. The last column shows certain symbols used on foreign reproduction charts produced by NGA.
Table of Contents
This publication is offered for viewing and downloading in PDF Adobe format. Viewing is organized in sections and downloading is organized in individual chapters.
Download the Entire Publication:
Full Publication(pdf) (7MB)
Individual Chapters(zip) (85.0 MB)
The Zip files of the sections are large ranging up to 27.6 MB. Be advised that you might experience long time frames depending on the speed for your connection to the Internet. For example, a 56K modem connection to the Internet can transfer about 4000 bytes per second when conditions are ideal. The download time for a 1.0 MB file at this rate is just over 4 minutes.
Viewing the following chapters requires the use of the Adobe Acrobat Reader. Downloading requires a utility such as Winzip.exe to open the zipped versions of the chapters.
The images in the version of Chart No. 1 offered below were produced in a 300 dpi *.TIF format using packbit compression and 256 colors then distilled using Adobe Acrobat 5.0.
Introduction (download this chapter) (8.2 MB)
General (download this chapter) (6.1 MB)
Chart Number, Title, Marginal Notes (3.8 MB)
Positions, Distances, Directions, Compass (3.7 MB)
Topography (download this chapter) (27.6 MB)
Natural Features (8.0 MB)
Cultural Features (5.7 MB)
Landmarks (9.0 MB)
Ports (6.8 MB)
Topographic Terms (1.5 MB)
Hydrography (download this chapter) (19.3 MB)
Tides, Currents (2.7 MB)
Depths (3.2 MB)
Nature of the Seabed (2.4 MB)
Rocks, Wrecks, Obstructions (4.5 MB)
Offshore Installations (2.8 MB)
Tracks, Routes (5.2 MB)
Areas, Limits (4.7 MB)
Hydrographic Terms (897 K)
Aids and Services (download this chapter) (15.2 MB)
Lights (5.9 MB)
Buoys, Beacons (7.7 MB)
Fog Signals (927 K)
Radar, Radio, Electronic Position-Fixing Systems (2.8 MB)
Services (2.7 MB)
Small Craft Facilities (1.3 MB)
Alphabetical Indexes (download this chapter) (9.9 MB)
Index of Abbreviations (4.5 MB)
International Abbreviations (1.3 MB)
List of Descriptors (2.7 MB)
IALA Maritime Buoyage System (2.5 MB)
Back Cover Contents (2.0 MB)
If you have questions or comments about Chart No. 1, please visit NOAA's Nautical Chart Product Inquiry page.
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