The 18th century explorer James Cook’s ambition in claiming Australia as authentically “British” manifested in the maps he produced. In the time he spent in Australia, James Cook named well over 100 different landmarks. Although it may seem at first as if the names he gave to these bays, isles, and mountains are arbitrary, they most certainly were not. The names given were all of English-style and more importantly arose from his history as a British-born citizen. He assigned names like “Cape Palmerston”, “Cape Sandwich”, and “Edgcumbe Bay” to different landmarks to commemorate British Lords of Admiralty. He named “Cape Hawke” and “Cape Howe” in admiration of English commanders that ranked above him in the British Navy. By naming these Australian
