The double naming of bodies of water isn't unheard of. There is contention amongst a number of countries. Iran and Saudi Arabia have an ongoing dispute over the Persian Gulf (Iran) vs the Arabian Gulf (Saudi Arabia).
Japan and South Korea have long been in a dispute over the body of water between the Korean Peninsula and the Japanese Archipelago. While Japan calls it the "Sea of Japan," South Korea uses the name "East Sea." This disagreement is particularly sensitive due to the historical context of Japan's colonization of Korea from 1910 to 1945.
The South China Sea has competing claims - The Philippines calls it the "West Philippine Sea," while China refers to it as the "South Sea." Vietnam and other countries in the region also have their own names for the body of water. The naming dispute is tied to territorial claims, with countries vying for control of important shipping lanes and potential undersea resources. Hilary Clinton had weighed in on this one comparing China's claims to the U.S. naming the Pacific Ocean the American Sea.
Mexico and Cuba are involved in the Gulf of Mexico name.
But the impacts of a name change impact numerous organizations - environmental organizations and the International Hydrographic Organization. The IHO is involved in standardized geographical names, and resolves international disputes over place names. There's the impact on existing agreements and on scientific research.
Look at the cost of changing street names in Toronto and the upset that brought. Dundas Street's renaming would cost $12.7 million. Can you imagine the cost to rename the Gulf of Mexico? No estimates so far in the news - just the mechanics of how to go about it.
I wouldn't want to be a scientific researcher and have to change all documents. What a lot of administrative and legal work that will be.
In one article there's a reference to the government of Iran threatening to sue Google in 2012 over the company's decision to not label the body of water at all on its maps. So there are likely going to law suits like this.
So many lessons beyond geography here - how complicated our world is.
Here's a picture from a few years ago - the Foty Creek in autumn. A tree trunk divides the image with its zig-zag pattern.
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