China's Ministry of Civil Affairs has published the official Chinese names for places on the earth's moon, in a first that eliminates confusion and will help the nation's lunar exploration efforts.

The ministry published the Chinese names for 468 places and will publish more at a later date.

The International Astronomical Union has given names to more than 9,000 places on the moon, said a ministry official Thursday.

The project to standardize Chinese lunar names was initiated by the ministry.

The ministry is also drafting technical regulations for the naming of places on the moon in Chinese, according to the official.