After many years of controversy the name of Mount McKinley, the tallest mountain in North America, will be changed back to its original native Alaskan, Denali. US President Barack Obama, whose term is coming to its end, announced the change ahead of a three-day visit to Alaska to highlight climate change.
The 20,237ft (6,168m) peak was named by a gold prospector in 1896 after he heard that William McKinley had been nominated to become the US president despite him having never set foot in Alaska. McKinley was the 25th president of the United States. He was assassinated early in his second term in 1901.
The new name Denali translates as High One or Great One and is the name that locals continued to use. Alaskans have been attempting to change the name to Denali for decades. However, its attempts were blocked by Ohio, William McKinley’s home state. The news has received mixed reactions in the US.