Trump Renamed the Gulf of Mexico, but Who Controls It?

The Trump administration has renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, however a lot of the physique of water lies exterior maritime areas managed by the US.

In response to calculations by Sovereign Limits, a database of worldwide boundaries, the US lays declare to 46 p.c of the gulf, whereas Mexico lays declare to 49 p.c.

Maritime zones are divided into classes primarily based on distance from the coast. Territorial seas lie closest to a nation’s shore, and the legal guidelines of a rustic apply inside and under these waters the best way they do on land, for essentially the most half.

Farther past the shore, a rustic’s unique financial zone is the place it controls what’s within the water, like fish, in addition to what’s in and under the seabed, like oil and fuel. Moreover, the gulf accommodates sections of so-called excessive seas, the place a rustic may also retain rights solely to the pure sources of the seabed and subsoil.

The gulf, like many areas all over the world, has maritime boundaries which are mutually agreed upon by the nations alongside its coast. In response to Kevin Danaher and Marissa Wooden at Sovereign Limits, the gulf is “coated totally by established maritime boundaries.”

The Gulf of Mexico has appeared on maps for centuries, however geographic identify modifications are widespread all through historical past. This identify change has a direct affect on U.S. federal agencies that map or seek advice from the gulf. Some corporations comparable to Google and Apple now show Gulf of America for customers in the US. For others, the identify change is non-obligatory.