McKinley Mountain in North America has a new name

The 6,000m high McKinley mountain in Alaska, USA and the highest mountain in North America has officially been renamed Denali.

McKinley Peak was lowered

In the evening of August 30 (local time), the White House said that changing the official name for the mountain has deep cultural significance.

McKinley's highest mountain in North America has now been renamed Denali - (Photo: AP)

Mount McKinley is located in Denali National Park, Alaska, which is known as Denali by Aboriginal people. In 1896, this mountain was named McKinley after the 25th President of the United States - William McKinley. Over the years, local authorities have tried to regain the old name for the mountain.

"Denali is an important cultural place for many native Alaskans. The name Denali has been used for many years and is still widely used throughout the state," the White House announcement. write.

The announcement came shortly before President Barack Obama visited Alaska for three days, beginning August 31 (local time), to raise awareness about the effects of climate change. This is the first visit to Alaska by the current US president.

According to the AP, the decision to change the name of the mountain is welcomed by many Alaskan people but also disgruntled Ohio MPs, his home town of McKinley. Congressman Bob Gibbs said Mr McKinley deserves to be honored, and decided to change the name of the mountain is an act "insulting" the entire Ohio population.

The White House pointed out that Mr McKinley had never visited Alaska and decided to change the name of the mountain to be legal.