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[mapfax]

Just came across a map of the Arabian (Persian) Gulf at http://www.ai-journa...view/ai.1308/65. Now I know there are various Iranian and Iranian-American organizations that purport (rather loudly) that "Persian Gulf "has been used for more than 2,500 years and is the only legit name, such as at https://secure3.conv...a...tion&id=179. Map publishers, such as National Geographic and Google Earth, have been threatened for using Arabian Gulf.

However, the UN Law of the Sea seems to make "Arabian Gulf" legal under international law, because 7 Arab countries (Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, and Oman) are allowed 12-mile territorial seas and control most of the gulf waters. These countries use Arabian Gulf on their government maps. Their territorial sea, their name, would seem to apply here. Any thoughts?

[M.Denil]

Personally, since there is a body of water in that vicinity called the Arabian Sea, I think that having a nearby but distinct Arabian Gulf tends to be a bit confusing. Certainly, having a Gulf of Bothnia and a Bay of Bothnia (the Bay is the northern part and the Gulf is the southern part of what a lot of maps label only as the Gulf) is confusing enough.

Then again, the Arabian Sea has, historically, also been known as the Sea of Hindustan, so maybe if there is no Arabian Sea then an Arabian Gulf is okay.

In the end it comes down to who you expect to use the map. I have, in the past, for instance, been forced to make different maps for distibution in Guyana and in Suriname, showing the New River Triangle as belonging to whichever country the map was to be distributed...