2nd Sea Day to Sri Lanki - Day 92

The Origin of Oceans and Seas
Often, oceans and seas are named after their adjacent lands or after the Europeans who discovered them. But sometimes the origins of a name reveal a bit about a region's culture or history. Here are a few examples:
Pacific Ocean: During his circumnavigation of the world in 1521, Ferdinand Magellan discovered favorable winds as he sailed between South America and the East Indies, so he called these waters Mar Pacifico, or "Peaceful Sea."
Atlantic Ocean: The origins of the Atlantic's name date to antiquity, around 450 BC. To the Greeks, Atlantis thalassa, or the Sea of Atlantis, comprised the uncharted and mysterious waters "beyond the pillars of Heracles," where Iberia's Rock of Gibraltar and Africa's Monte Hacho marked the end of the known world.
Mediterranean Sea: The semi-enclosed body of water between Europe and Africa has had many names. It was Mare Nostrum ("Our Sea") to the
the Greeks. The modern name is from the Latin mediterraneus, meaning "amid the earth."
Roman Empire and Mare Magnum ("Great Sea") to
South China Sea, East China Sea: In ancient Chinese literature, the empire was surrounded by four seas, each named for the directions on a compass. In the real world, as the Portuguese developed trade with China in the 16th century, they called these waters Mare da China ("China Sea") and later distinguished the two bodies of water with their own names.
Arafura Sea: Explorers in the 18th century told of the Harafora people of the Moluccas and named this sea for them.Baca lagi