Can Trump rename the Gulf of Mexico?

President-elect Donald J. Trump he said On Tuesday, he said he plans to rename the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of the Americas,” one of a number of foreign policy proposals that have worried world leaders.

“It has a nice ring to it,” he said of the proposed name change for the watershed, which borders several U.S. states and Mexico.

Mr. Trump’s proposal was met with derision and cheers in Mexico late night comediansAlthough he has supporters such as Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, Georgia Republican, promised to make it a reality.

Who named the Gulf of Mexico?

The name of the bay first appeared on maps It was used by Spanish explorers in the 16th century, long before the founding of the United States.

On Wednesday, Mexican President Claudia Scheinbaum unveiled a 1607 map that included the Gulf of Mexico. He also labeled North America as “Mexican America”.

“Why don’t we call it Mexican America? Sounds nice, doesn’t it? ” Ms. Sheinbaum said.

Can Trump rename the Gulf?

Mr. Trump, as president, could press for geographic names to be changed as they are used in the United States.

There is a precedent: In 2015, President Obama used his executive powers Rename Alaska Mt From McKinley to Denali. There is Mr. Trump he swore to overturn this decision.

But whether other countries will respect any changes is another story.

“Today, there is no formal international agreement or protocol for naming marine areas,” John Nyberg, director of the International Hydrographic Organization, which standardizes and charts marine boundaries, said in an email.

US national geographic naming authority US Council on Geographic Nameshe added.

The US Board of Geographic Names, part of the US Geological Survey, says on its website it only considers name changes for “forced” reasons. “In general,” he adds, “the most important policy regarding names is local use and adoption.”

What other bodies of water have their names disputed?

The watershed that separates Iran from Saudi Arabia is long gone is a source of tension. Iran wants it to be called “Persian Gulf”, while Saudi Arabia prefers “Arabian Gulf”.

The US Navy uses the term “Arabian Gulf” to avoid friction with an important ally, but US Council on Geographic Names He instructed to use the “Persian Gulf” for official business.

There are also disputes over the name of the sea It borders Japan, North Korea, South Korea and Russia. Japan calls it the Sea of ​​Japan, while South Korea claims it has been called the East Sea for centuries.

The body of water – commonly known in the English-speaking world as the South China Sea – is bordered by Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. is also controversial. Various countries have proposed their own names to certain islands to emphasize their territorial claims to the sea.

Emiliano Rodriguez Mega contributed to the report.