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The Commemorative Quarter for South Carolina







Miscellaneous Information


Various Identification Codes ...

GNIS Codes ...

The U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) was created to address the problems caused by spelling and naming variations. The BGN will usually recognize an existing name or, when necessary, chose a name for a geographic feature (such as a mountain, lake, river, stream, city, town, village, dam, bridge, etc).

The BGN names are kept in a database called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and it is the official Federal repository. The GNIS is operated and maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

A unique and permanent numeric code has been assigned for each name in the GNIS database. These names and identifiers are definitive and it is intended that they are to be used by all departments of the Federal Government:

GNIS ID for Sparks Ferry: 1232798

GNIS ID for Marlboro County: 1248011

GNIS ID for South Carolina: 1779799

FIPS Codes ...

In a past effort, various federal agencies created a set of codes with a purpose similar to the GNIS codes. These codes are called the Federal Information Processing Standard (or the FIPS 55 codes). Although they are still used by some organizations, the FIPS codes are obsolete and will ultimately be replaced by the GNIS codes.

While FIPS codes have been assigned to all counties and states, a specific code has not been assigned to Sparks Ferry. The following FIPS codes apply to the State and County:

State Code:  45 (South Carolina)
County Code:  069 (Marlboro County)

GPS Location - GNIS Coordinates ...

An important aspect of the GNIS code is that it assigns a GPS location (the latitude/longitude) to the geographic feature. This location is simply a point on the map and does not represent the size or shape of the feature. In the case of Sparks Ferry, it is a point within Sparks Ferry that might be a post office, the city hall or simply an intersection - the point should really be considered arbitrary and only indicating a general location.

For Sparks Ferry, the GNIS GPS location is given as:

Lat:   34° 31' 53"   (or 34.53°)

Lon:   -79° 49' 49"   (or -79.83°)  

Regional Codes ...

For statistical purposes, the US Census Bureau has divided the country into four Regions. Sparks Ferry is located in Region #3 (the South Region).

In turn, the US Census Bureau has further divided each Region into Divisions. Sparks Ferry is located in Division #5 (the South Atlantic Division).

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has created ten Federal Regions. Sparks Ferry is located in Region IV (Region 4).

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has created ten Management Regions. Sparks Ferry is located in Region IV (Region 4).

Referenced GNIS Records ...

GNIS ID #1232798   (Name of Record: Sparks Ferry (historical))

Class: crossing

County: Marlboro

Map Name: Society Hill

Lat: 34.5315457       Lon: -79.8303416  

Elev: 20 ft.