In recent years the United States government has begun renaming geographic sites and military bases that have problematic names. Some of these reference divisive historical figures, such as slave-owning Confederates, and others use terms considered derogatory toward certain people groups. For example, the U.S. Department of the Interior declared the word “squaw” as derogatory to Native Americans and decided that, until it could be changed, any Federal references to a place with this word in its name would be shorted to “sq–.”
In this article, we review some of the most divisive geographic names in the U.S. and around the world and why they are controversial. This is information especially useful to those who may reference these places in professional communications or in conversation with people from other countries or affected demographic categories.
24/7 Wall St. Insights
- Disputed place names in the United States are often problematic because they use derogatory terms for ethnic groups or honor historical figures who have fallen out of favor.
- In other parts of the world, controversial names often have to do with territorial conflicts between countries.
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America
The use of the term “America” or “American” is controversial to some people in Canada and Latin America, who are all are residents of the Americas as well. Latin Americans often prefer to refer to citizens of the United States and Canada as “North Americans,” although technically Mexico, the Caribbean islands, and Central America are all part of North America as well. Is there any chance citizens of the United States will stop referring to themselves as Americans? No. There’s a zero percent chance. And if there could be less than a zero percent chance, that would be the chance of this happening!
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are a British colony located off the southern coast of Argentina. The Argentines call them the Malvinas. Argentina invaded the colony in 1982 but the British reclaimed them in a brief, sharp war.
Kelseyville
This unincorporated community in California honors Andrew Kelsey, who committed atrocities against the local Pomo people group. Opponents want to change the name to Konocti, the Pomo name of a nearby mountain.
Mount Elbert
This Colorado mountain honors Samuel Hitt Elbert, a territorial governor responsible for forcing the expulsion of the Ute tribe. There is a proposal to rename it Mount Daisy for the flowers that grow on it.
Mount Woodring
Samuel Tilden Woodring was the first superintendent of Grand Teton National Park and the namesake for Mount Woodring. Because he was accused of assault, a proposal has been made to rename the mountain Raven Peak.
Negro Mountain
This is a mountain ridge of the Alleghenies located on the border of Maryland and Pennsylvania. It is the highest point in Pennsylvania. It was named in honor of a black man who died bravely as part of a colonial military force fighting the French and Indians. There are proposals to rename it Mount Nemisis or Black Hero Mountain in his honor.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom. There have been several proposals to rename it. The name that got the most traction was “Ulster,” but there has not been enough consensus to accomplish a name change. A different name would differentiate this region more from the rest of Ireland, instead of giving them the impression it was a region of Ireland, a separate country.
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf is named for Persia, the ancient name of Iran. In the 1960s Arab countries, which also border the Gulf, began calling it the Arabian Gulf or just the Gulf. Iran has threatened to ban airlines from its airspace that do not use the term “Persian Gulf.” The United States military refers to it as the Arabian Gulf as a friendly gesture toward regional states that are aligned with U.S. policies toward Iran.
Sea of Japan
This is the body of water between Japan, Russia, and the Koreas. South Korea would like to rename it the “East Sea” and North Korea wants it named the “Korean East Sea.”
West Bank
The West Bank is a predominantly Palestinian area of central and eastern Israel. It is under Israeli administration, in defiance of United Nations resolutions. Israelis refer to it as “Judea and Samaria,” using historic Hebrew names for the territory.
West Philippine Sea
The Philippines refers to the area off its west coast as the “West Philippine Sea.” In doing so, they want to separate it from the South China Sea, which China lays claim to. The West Philippine Sea includes a tract of ocean that is, under international law, the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, as well as the disputed Spratly Islands and Scarborough Shoal, both of which China claims.
Western Sahara
Western Sahara was a Spanish colony on the Northwest coast of Africa that is now mostly occupied by Morocco. Morocco calls it the “Southern Provinces” or “Moroccan Sahara.” An unoccupied portion of the country has declared itself the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and does not recognize Morocco’s claims or its names for the occupied territory.
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