Headline: Trump’s Proposal to Rename Gulf of Mexico Sparks Backlash from Mexico’s President Sheinbaum
Subhead: President-elect Trump suggests renaming the Gulf of Mexico to ‘Gulf of America‘; Mexican President responds, unveiling historical map showing ‘Gulf of Mexico’ and ‘Mexico in America’ dating back to 1607.
President-elect Donald Trump has proposed renaming the Gulf of Mexico to ‘Gulf of America,’ sparking a swift response from Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who dismissed the idea and highlighted historical records showing the gulf and continent named after Mexico centuries ago.
The Gulf of Mexico, spanning approximately 1 million 550 thousand square kilometers, is shared by Mexico, the United States, and Cuba, with the remaining waters falling under international jurisdiction. Its average depth is 1,615 meters, reaching a maximum of 4,384 meters in the Sigsbee Deep, which is deeper than the final resting place of the Titanic in the Atlantic Ocean (around 3,800 meters).
The Sigsbee Deep is the deepest region in the Gulf of Mexico, located primarily in international waters, though straddling the coasts of Mexico and the United States. It does not belong exclusively to any one country and lies within the broader territorial waters shared among the neighboring nations.
President Sheinbaum rejected Trump’s proposed name change, citing United Nations recognition of the existing name and presenting a 1607 map that identified the gulf as the ‘Gulf of Mexico’ and the continent as ‘America Mexican.’ She humorously suggested renaming the area ‘America Mexican’ instead, referencing the historical record.
Under international maritime law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Gulf of Mexico is considered a semi-enclosed sea, with three littoral states sharing its sovereignty and rights. The gulf forms part of the Atlantic Ocean and extends around 1,500 kilometers at its widest point.
The proposed renaming by President-elect Trump has stirred debate and)]prompts consideration of the historical and legal context surrounding the gulf’s name and its rightful place in the collective history of North America.
Keep reading