The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, is responsible for providing nautical charts for most of the United States, with a suite of over 1000 charts encompassing the coasts of the U.S., the Great Lakes,and the U.S. territories. Each NOAA nautical chart contains a vast amount of information unique to the geographic area that it covers. While each chart is unique, it is assembled using standard conventions that are understood by the mariner.