Toponymy of the Oceans

During clarification of etymological sense of names of the oceans it is necessary to consider the following. Unlike names of continents, when naming the oceans many people use translation (trace translation) therefore the names of oceans sound differently in different countries. For example, the Pacific Ocean in the English-speaking countries carries the name Pacific Ocean, Germans have Shtiller Ocean, but semantic value steadily remains. By such principle the Black Sea Turks call Cara Tengiz, but sense of the name is the same as in Russian (where the word "Cara" - black, the word "Tengiz" – sea).

Pacific Ocean. The first European who has seen the Pacific Ocean in 1513 was Vasco Balboa. He, crossing Isthmus of Panama, has seen the ocean but in the direction to the South therefore called it the Southern sea - Mar del Sur, to the contrary of North Sea - Mar del Norte, i.e. the Atlantic Ocean which Badboa has left in the North. Several years later, in 1520-1521, Ferdinand Magellan has crossed the Pacific Ocean and during hundred days of swimming from Tierra Del Fuego to the Philippine Islands he hasn't experienced any storm - the ocean was quiet and by the first impression has been called Pacific. In 1756 the French geographer Buash has suggested to give the ocean a new name – Great, as it is the biggest among oceans. These both names were approved in geography, but the name Pacific became more common.

Atlantic Ocean. For the first time the toponym in a form "sea Atlantis" is met in works of the Ancient Greek historian Herodotus (5th century BC). The Roman historian Pliny the Elder (1st century AD) used the toponym in the modern Oceanus Atlanticus form - the Atlantic Ocean. The name the Atlantic Ocean for the first time appears on Waldseemüller's map in 1507, and earlier on maps it was written as the Western ocean, "The sea behind Herculean columns", "The sea of gloom", "Atlantic". The origin of the name is connected with the Ancient Greek myth about the titan Atlanta (Atlas) holding the heavenly arch on his shoulders. Greeks considered that to the west from Mediterranean Sea there is an end of the earth where this giant is situated, so it caused appearing of the name the Atlantic Ocean.

Indian Ocean. Ancient Greeks called the western part of the ocean known to them the Eritrean sea, the Southern sea, the Azanic sea (Azania - Ancient greek name of the east coast of Africa). In the 4th century BC in writings of Alexander the Great there is the name Indikon Pelagos - Indian sea, and in the 1st century BC in writings of the Roman scientist Pliny - a modern form of toponym Oceanus Orientalis Indicus - East Indian Ocean (unlike Western - Atlantic).

Arctic Ocean. The Old Russian name of the known part of the ocean - the Ice cold sea. It was allocated for the 1^st time as the independent ocean in the European map of the 17th century under the name the Hyperboryc ocean. This toponym is artificially formed by the Ancient Greek words "hyper" - the prefix meaning excess over something, Borey - god of north winds, the North; i.e. the toponym is comprehended as "the extreme northern ocean". During this period the name Mare Glaciate was used for the Ice cold sea and Oceanus Septentrionalis for the Northern ocean. In Russian sources of the 17-18th centuries – the Sea ocean, the Ice cold sea, the Northern ocean, the Ice cold ocean, etc. In the 19th century in Western Europe a name the Arctic ocean (Arctic Ocean) was used. In 1935 the Arctic Ocean form was used for the first time at the beginning of the 19th century by the Russian scientist and seafarer F. P. Litke.

The vast majority of toponyms and gidronimas of the World Ocean are relatively young as its spaces became known just recently. Among the names of oceans and names of islands and archipelagoes scattered on its open space, the basis is made by the toponyms reflecting historical events, a surname of travelers, natural features and names of the nearby countries and territories. These are the largest islands and archipelagoes in the Atlantic Ocean: Madeira, Canary, Fernando Po (Bioko), Prinsipi, San Tome, Rise, Saint Elena, Tristan-da-Kunya.

It’s desirable to clarify the Azores name origin. The Portuguese prince Heinrich in the first half of the 15th century has organized an expedition dedicated to searches of new lands within the Atlantic Ocean. In 1444 unknown islands have been discovered. The Portuguese were struck by abundance of birds among whom was a lot of hawks. In this regard the Portuguese seafarers have decided to call the archipelago by the name of its inhabitants. This name was successfully coordinated with the name given to the island many years ago by Arabs.

Since then the islands lost in open space of the Atlantic Ocean at a distance more than one and a half thousand kilometers from the coast of the continent began to be called as Azoric, i.e. Hawk, from port. azor – a hawk.

The unusual toponymy funny thing has happened to the name of Ascension Island discovered in 1501 by Portuguese in a day of a religious festival of Ascention. After occupation of the island by British there was no money for the maintenance of the military garrison created on it. Then a smart exit from this situation has been found: the island was given the status of the warship and named "the Ship of Her Majesty "Ascention" standing on raid. Locals began to be called sailors, and they served under team of officers. There were enough money allocated for the British fleet therefore the problem has been solved. Only in 1881 the former status and the name Ascension Island have been returned to the island.

On the same way there was a formation of toponyms of Indian Ocean: Madagascar, Socotra, Zanzibar, Maskarene, Comorian, Seychelles, Kerguelen.

The names of oceanic flows also have their regularity. Many of them have received the names after the dominating winds: the round-the-world current of the Western Winds in the Antarctic sector formed by constant western transfer of air in midlatitudes; The Monsoon drift in the Indian Ocean formed by seasonal monsoonal winds (the term "monsoon" comes from Arab "mousym" - "season", subsequently transformed by French to mousson). Trade winds Southern and Northern in Atlantic have received their names from constant winds of trade winds (from span. viento da pasada - "favorable wind"). Thanks to these winds Ch. Columbus has reached the New World at a short time, that’s why he called them viento da pasada.