Underwater formations given Turkish names

ISTANBUL

Türkiye has signed the first-ever convention for nomenclature with a presidential decree to include Turkish names for some underwater formations previously indicated with foreign names, in a move that came following nearly a decade of study.

The Turkish Marine Research Foundation (TÜDAV) studied the names of essential underwater formations that did not have Turkish names on the nautical charts for nearly 10 years, while the new Turkish names of the formations were published in the official gazette on Oct. 8.

The submarine canyons in the Black Sea were named after Karaburun, Boğaziçi and Karasu, and the new names of seamounts in the Mediterranean Sea are Piri Reis, Finike and Sırrı Erinç.

Marmara trenches, Balıkçı and Yunus banks are also among the new names.

A major deficiency in international maritime law and maritime studies was corrected, stated Bayram Öztürk, TÜDAV’s head.

“The nomenclature regarding the seas is the first for our country, and we are proud that our foundation pioneered it,” he stated.

“We would like to thank all the institutions and organizations that contributed to the conclusion of this issue by placing it on the agenda of the Board of Experts on Geographical Names,” Öztürk added.

Founded in 1997, TÜDAV is a non-governmental organization operating on a national and international scale to work on scientific research, publication, education, protection areas and data banks related to Turkish sea and inland waters.