Iran to ban airlines not using the term 'Persian Gulf'

[Duque de Bragança]

AFAIK, Persian gulf is used since Greco-Roman times (e.g Sinus Persicus).  Incidentally, Sinus Arabicus was the Red Sea.

[Viking]

They already have an Arabian Sea, why do they need a gulf?

[Warspite]

[Brain]We should rename the Holy See[/Brain]

[Josquius]

Korea and Japan are similarly anal about the sea between them, so it is not limited to Middle Easterners.

I think its a different thing there.
With the Sea of Japan its clearly the sea which seperates Japan from mainland Asia. Compare it to the English channel and the Irish sea. The lesser body gets the name as its what you have to cross to reach there.
With the gulf though....yeah. Both of them are Asia proper. Its odd.

[The Brain]

[Brain]We should rename the Holy See[/Brain]

Brain kills me.

[grumbler]

Brain kills me.

Terrific idea.

[Martim Silva]

Korea and Japan are similarly anal about the sea between them, so it is not limited to Middle Easterners.

And the stupid thing is, the sea on the other side of Japan is called "The Philippine Sea"... they should call that the "Sea of Japan" and put the Philippine Sea near the Philippines.

In Portugal we all say "The Persian Gulf", but that's mostly because we don't bother to update our maps much. The XVIth century designations work well when appropriate (but we no longer call California 'New Spain').

That said, there are wads of places with silly names or stupid borders. The border between Tadjikistan and Kyrgyzstan gives me a headache everytime I look at it - the countries are intertwined in an impossible knot.

And the Kenyan northern border is odd - there is a triangle there that Nairobi administrates, but everybody else claims. It only spells trouble.

And Namibia stretches way too much to the inside of Africa - it ends up creating a crossroads where you can move into 4 different nations by moving just some yards in any direction.

And why is there a bit of Italy inside Switzerland? Or chunks of Belgium inside The Netherlands? Creepy.

Also, the US should redraw the administrative borders of some of its states. They're just weird. Why does NY basically stretch up from the city itself and suddenly appears as a larger area up North? Why does Michigan have a chunk of what should logically be northern Wisconsin? And there are way too many silly little states in the Northeast, like Delaware or Rhode Island. They could be merged into one or two.

[Neil]

And the stupid thing is, the sea on the other side of Japan is called "The Philippine Sea"... they should call that the "Sea of Japan" and put the Philippine Sea near the Philippines.

The Philippine Sea is bounded on the west by the Izu-Bonin-Marianas Arc, to the north by Japan, to the east by the Ryukyus, Formosa and the Philippines and to the south by the assorted islands of Palau.  Philippine is as good a name as any for it.

[grumbler]

And the stupid thing is, the sea on the other side of Japan is called "The Philippine Sea"... they should call that the "Sea of Japan" and put the Philippine Sea near the Philippines.

The Philippine Sea is bounded on the west by the Izu-Bonin-Marianas Arc, to the north by Japan, to the east by the Ryukyus, Formosa and the Philippines and to the south by the assorted islands of Palau.  Philippine is as good a name as any for it.

Yes.  Since the Philippine Sea washes the shores of the Philippines, it couldn't be any nearer than it is.

[Martim Silva]

Yes.  Since the Philippine Sea washes the shores of the Philippines, it couldn't be any nearer than it is.

Or, alternatively, one could set its limits further South, so that it remains the the region, and name the Northern half "Sea of Japan". The current Sea of Japan can then be called "East Sea" or even "Sea of Korea" and everyone is happy.

Hey, if they created the Southern Ocean, surely this can also be done.

[Ed Anger]

Why does Michigan have a chunk of what should logically be northern Wisconsin?

The UP was given to Michigan as compensation for not receiving the Toledo Strip.

[chipwich]

[/quote]


Why does Michigan have a chunk of what should logically be northern Wisconsin?
[/quote]

We didn't want it.

[Neil]

Or, alternatively, one could set its limits further South, so that it remains the the region, and name the Northern half "Sea of Japan". The current Sea of Japan can then be called "East Sea" or even "Sea of Korea" and everyone is happy.

Hey, if they created the Southern Ocean, surely this can also be done.

Doing that doesn't make geographic sense, and the Koreans don't have anything to offer Me in order to make the name change worth My while.

[Monoriu]

We call it "Persian Gulf" in Chinese as well.

[Queequeg]

They already have an Arabian Sea, why do they need a gulf?

The Arabs are a little people, a silly people, greedy, barbarous and cruel.