What鈥檚 in a name change, after all?
The water bordered by the Southern United States, Mexico and Cuba will be critical to shipping lanes and vacationers whether it鈥檚 called the Gulf of Mexico, as it has been for four centuries, or the Gulf of America, as President Donald Trump ordered this week. North America鈥檚 highest mountain peak will still loom above Alaska whether it鈥檚 called Mt. Denali, as ordered by former President Barack Obama in 2015, or changed back to Mt. McKinley as Trump also decreed.
But Trump鈥檚 territorial assertions, in line with his 鈥淎merica First鈥� worldview, sparked a round of rethinking by mapmakers and teachers, snark on social media and sarcasm by at least one other world leader. And though Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis put the Trumpian 鈥淕ulf of America鈥� on an official document and some other gulf-adjacent states were considering doing the same, it was not clear how many others would follow Trump鈥檚 lead.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum joked that if Trump went ahead with the renaming, her country would rename North America 鈥淢exican America.鈥� On Tuesday, she toned it down: 鈥淔or us and for the entire world it will continue to be called the Gulf of Mexico.鈥�
The politics of maps are undeniable
Map lines are inherently political. After all, they鈥檙e representations of the places that are important to human beings 鈥� and those priorities can be delicate and contentious, even more so in a globalized world where multiple nations often share the same maps.
罢丑别谤别鈥檚 no agreed-upon scheme to name boundaries and features across the Earth.
鈥淒enali鈥� is the mountain鈥檚 preferred name for Alaska Natives, while 鈥淢cKinley鈥� is a tribute to President William McKinley, designated in the late 19th century by a gold prospector. China sees Taiwan as its own territory, and the countries surrounding what the United States calls the South China Sea have multiple names for the same body of water.
The Persian Gulf has been widely known by that name since the 16th century, although usage of 鈥淕ulf鈥� and 鈥淎rabian Gulf鈥� is dominant in many countries in the Middle East. The government of Iran 鈥� formerly Persia 鈥� threatened to sue Google in 2012 over the company鈥檚 decision not to label the body of water at all on its maps. Many Arab countries don鈥檛 recognize Israel and instead call it Palestine. And in many official releases, Israel calls the occupied West Bank by its biblical name, 鈥淛udea and Samaria.鈥�
Americans and Mexicans diverge on what to call another key body of water, the river that forms the border between Texas and the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas. Americans call it the Rio Grande; Mexicans call it the Rio Bravo.
Trump鈥檚 executive order 鈥� titled 鈥淩estoring Names That Honor American Greatness鈥� 鈥� concludes thusly: 鈥淚t is in the national interest to promote the extraordinary heritage of our Nation and ensure future generations of American citizens celebrate the legacy of our American heroes. The naming of our national treasures, including breathtaking natural wonders and historic works of art, should honor the contributions of visionary and patriotic Americans in our Nation鈥檚 rich past.鈥�
But what to call the gulf with the 3,700-mile coastline?
鈥淚t is, I suppose, an internationally recognized sea, but (to be honest), a situation like this has never come up before so I need to confirm the appropriate convention,鈥� said Peter Bellerby, who said he was talking over the issue with the cartographers at his London company, Bellerby & Co. Globemakers. 鈥淚f, for instance, he wanted to change the Atlantic Ocean to the American Ocean, we would probably just ignore it.鈥�
For some, it鈥檚 decision time
As of Wednesday night, map applications for Google and Apple still called the mountain and the gulf by their old names. Spokespersons for those platforms did not immediately respond to emailed questions.
A spokesperson for National Geographic, one of the most prominent map makers in the U.S., said this week that the company does not comment on individual cases and referred questions to a statement on its web site, which reads in part that it 鈥渟trives to be apolitical, to consult multiple authoritative sources, and to make independent decisions based on extensive research.鈥� National Geographic also has a policy of including explanatory notes for place names in dispute, citing as an example a body of water between Japan and the Korean peninsula, referred to as the Sea of Japan by the Japanese and the East Sea by Koreans.
The Associated Press, which disseminates news around the world to multiple audiences, will refer to the Gulf of Mexico by its original name while acknowledging the name Gulf of America. AP will, however, use the name Mount McKinley instead of Denali; the area lies solely in the United States and as president, Trump has the authority to change federal geographical names within the country.
In discussion on social media, one thread noted that the Sears Tower in Chicago was renamed the Willis Tower in 2009, though it鈥檚 still commonly known by its original moniker. Pennsylvania鈥檚 capital, Harrisburg, renamed its Market Street to Martin Luther King Boulevard and then switched back to Market Street several years later 鈥� with loud complaints both times. In 2017, New York鈥檚 Tappan Zee Bridge was renamed for the late Gov. Mario Cuomo to great controversy. The new name appears on maps, but 鈥渘o one calls it that,鈥� noted another user.
鈥淎re we going to start teaching this as the name of the body of water?鈥� asked one Reddit poster on Tuesday.
鈥淚 guess you can tell students that SOME PEOPLE want to rename this body of water the Gulf of America, but everyone else in the world calls it the Gulf of Mexico,鈥� came one answer. 鈥淐over all your bases 鈥� they know the reality-based name, but also the wannabe name as well.鈥�
Wrote another user: 鈥淚鈥檒l call it the Gulf of America when I鈥檓 forced to call the Tappan Zee the Mario Cuomo Bridge, which is to say never.鈥�
