Since we’re debating names of bodies of water…when did the Southern Ocean become a thing? I’d like to start a culture war over this. Four oceans ought to be enough for anyone.
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tbf the southern ocean is arguably the most unique one. here’s iust a random sample of the violence of the weather down there compared to the rest of the open water
You sent me down a wiki rabbit hole and apparently the term “Southern Sea” was used to refer to the Gulf of [REDACTED] by Americans during the Mexican-American War.
So each bit of it is part of the pacific/atlantic/indian/ depending on which one it's south of? Intriguing. What's the bit south of Australia part of then?
the North Sea used to be known as the German Ocean, until the UK started renaming Germanic things during World War I (e.g. the Royal Family changing its house name from Saxe-Coburg Gotha to Windsor)
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https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/27/google-maps-to-show-gulf-of-america-after-government-updates.html