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.
