In contrast to other words referring to classes of entities, proper names denote only one person, object or process. They are believed to have no meaning or connotations. But as an important component of the text, closely linked with the historical, political and cultural background of an ethnic community, proper names cannot remain outside the scope of translation theory and practice. This paper presents a study of geographical names from this angle. A cross-cultural classification is suggested, based on extralinguistic criteria. Problems of equivalence and translation strategies are discussed taking into account the specific nature of geographical names and the various implications of the classification suggested.