Persian Gulf

- National Geographic Society has destroyed their reputation by falsifying fake names such as the Arabian Gulf as a substitution for the Persian Gulf in their latest World Atlas. Consistent with the indisputable historical facts, this body of water between the south of Iran and Arabian Peninsula is referred to as "Persian Gulf" in all old languages. This historical name has been in constant use for thousands of years simply because the first major nation-state in the region was created by Iranians/Persians. Regrettably, this Atlas is full of errors which renders it of nominal value (pictures are good, but the substances are worthless). Many of these errors seem to be designed to give credibility to various political interests. Referring to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf is not the only falsification. Sheb'aa lands are located in the south of Lebanon and Syrian and according to the international laws belong to the Syria and it is not a part of Israel but occupied by Israel. It is a common knowledge that the name of Arabian Gulf has no historical precedence beyond 1960s. In regard to the fact that "The Persian Gulf" is officially acknowledged in the United Nations as per the documents UNAD, 311/Qen on March 5, 1971, and UNLA 45.8.2 C on August 10, 1984, the question is what persuaded the National Geographic Organization to use unsubstantiated bogus terms like "the Arabian Gulf" coined by the raise of Arab-Nationalism just after 1960s. This body of water (Persia Gulf) used to have different names. The Latin Persicus term was influenced by the ancient Greeks, who embraced and perpetuated the label Persikos for Iran. But Iranians have always called their country Iran - which means "Land of the Aryans." In 1935, Iranian government officially requested the world start using Iran instead of Persia. Where did the Greeks pick up Persikos? According to the 2002 Encyclopedia Britannica, Parsa was the name of an Indo-European nomadic people who migrated into a region of southern Iran in about 1000 BC. The Greeks first encountered them about 500 years later, and during now-famous battles involving figures like Alexander the Great gradually extended the term to cover inhabitants of the entire Iranian Plateau. Ancient texts and maps clearly refer to Sinus Persicus - supporting the claim that the term Persian Gulf (Sea) has very old roots indeed. Many other languages, including French (Golfe Persique) and Spanish (Golfo Persico), eventually adopted their own version of "Persian Gulf." In 2001, Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, notes that in ancient times Erythraean Sea "applied to the Indian Ocean, later to the Persian Gulf, and finally to the Red Sea." Merriam-Webster's 1998 Geographical Dictionary, Third Edition, makes the same point. It's a little confusing, but the waters can be sailed without too much difficulty - at least until you reach the shores of Eritrea. Erythros, of course, is an old Greek word for red. The Erythraean Sea was also known as the Mare Rubrum - Latin for "Red Sea." But in ancient times the body of water known today as the Red Sea was called Sinus Arabicus, according to historians. In other words, today's Red Sea was once the "Arabian Gulf," and this is a separate body of water from the Persian Gulf. It is important for an academic and scientific society to be precise and without discrepancy. It is shame to see what once a respected publication to be converted to a useless political instrument. It is a total disrespect to the history of the world, as well as international laws and regulations if this publication is not corrected with an apology to all Iranians. It appears money and politics can even change the geography of the world! That is why "the Persian Gulf" has been changed to "the Arab Gulf" in one of the most highly regarded global geography resource. They are other errors regarding names of the cities throughout of this Atlas. Such lack of knowledge is unacceptable! DO NOT purchase this Atlas since it has modified the geographic names based on popularity, money given to the National Geographic Society and politics. They are reliable Atlases with accurate geographic details offered by other publishers and organizations.