President-elect Donald J. Trump said Tuesday that he deliberate to vary the identify of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America,” one in every of a number of international coverage proposal that left world leaders reeling.
“It has a lovely ring,” he mentioned of the proposed identify change for the physique of water that borders a number of U.S. and Mexican states.
Mr. Trump’s proposal was met with derision in Mexico and glee by late-night comedians, though supporters akin to Consultant Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican of Georgia, vowed to make it a reality.
Who named the Gulf of Mexico?
The gulf’s identify first appeared on maps utilized by Spanish explorers within the sixteenth century, nicely earlier than the founding of america.
On Wednesday, President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico displayed a map from 1607 that included the Gulf of Mexico. It additionally labeled North America as “Mexican America.”
“Why don’t we name it Mexican America? It sounds fairly, no?” Ms. Sheinbaum mentioned.
Can Trump rename the Gulf?
Mr. Trump, as president, might press for modifications to geographical names as they’re utilized in america.
There’s a precedent: In 2015, President Obama used his government powers to change the name of an Alaska mountain from “McKinley” to “Denali.” Mr. Trump has vowed to reverse that call.
However whether or not different international locations would honor any change is a unique story.
“At the moment, there is no such thing as a formal worldwide settlement or protocol in place for naming maritime areas,” mentioned John Nyberg, the director of the Worldwide Hydrographic Group, which works to standardize and chart marine boundaries, in an e-mail.
“The nationwide geographic naming authority of the U.S. is the U.S. Board on Geographic Names,” he added.
The U.S. Board on Geographic Names, a part of america Geological Survey, says on its website that it solely considers identify modifications for “compelling” causes. “Usually,” it provides, “an important coverage concerning names is native use and acceptance.”
What different our bodies of water have disputed names?
The physique of water that separates Iran from Saudi Arabia has lengthy been a source of tension. Iran needs it referred to as the “Persian Gulf,” whereas Saudi Arabia prefers “Arabian Gulf.”
The U.S. Navy has used the time period “Arabian Gulf,” to keep away from friction with an vital ally, however the U.S. Board on Geographic Names has mandated use of the “Persian Gulf,” for official enterprise.
Contention also exists around the name of the sea that’s bordered by Japan, North Korea, South Korea and Russia. Japan refers to it because the Sea of Japan whereas South Korea maintains that it has been referred to as the East Sea for hundreds of years.
The physique of water that borders Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam — generally often known as the South China Sea within the English-speaking world — is also disputed. Completely different international locations have proposed their very own names for the ocean to focus on their very own territorial claims to sure islands.
Emiliano Rodríguez Mega contributed reporting.
