President-elect Donald J. Trump said Tuesday that he deliberate to vary the identify of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America,” certainly one of a number of international coverage proposals that left world leaders reeling.
“It has a wonderful 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 reminiscent of 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, effectively earlier than the founding of the US.
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, may press for adjustments to geographical names as they’re utilized in the US.
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 nations would honor any change is a distinct story.
“In the present day, there isn’t 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 the US Geological Survey, says on its website that it solely considers identify adjustments for “compelling” causes. “Typically,” it provides, “crucial 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 known 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 necessary 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 known as the East Sea for hundreds of years.
The physique of water that borders Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam — generally generally known as the South China Sea within the English-speaking world — is also disputed. Completely different nations have proposed their very own names for the ocean to spotlight their very own territorial claims to sure islands.
Emiliano Rodríguez Mega contributed reporting.
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