US President Donald Trump on his first day in office signed an executive order titled “Restoring Names that Honor American Greatness”. It said that the highest peak in North America would be again called Mount McKinley, the name that was in use before the administration of President Barack Obama renamed it Denali in 2015; and that the Gulf of Mexico would be renamed as the “Gulf of America”.
Key Points
- Indigenous Name: The Koyukon Athabaskan people, native to the region, have long called the peak “Denali,” meaning “The High One” or “The Tall One.”
- Colonial and Early American Names: Between the 18th and 19th centuries, the mountain had various names due to colonial influences.
- Mount McKinley: In 1897, a prospector named the mountain after President William McKinley, and the name was formally adopted by the federal government in 1917 when Mount McKinley National Park was established.
- Denali National Park and Preserve: In 1980, the area was renamed Denali National Park and Preserve, but the mountain retained the name Mount McKinley.
- Obama Administration Renaming: In 2015, the Department of the Interior, under President Barack Obama, officially restored the name “Denali” to honor the indigenous heritage of the region.
(Source: Indian Express)
