Donald Trump announced in his first speech of the year that he plans to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, as he finds it more beautiful that way.
"We are going to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of the United States, which sounds very good. That covers a lot of territory, the Gulf of the United States, what a beautiful name. And it is appropriate," the president-elect told journalists at Mar-a-Lago.
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene announced through a post on Twitter that she will introduce legislation to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico, as requested by Donald Trump.
Does Donald Trump have the power to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico?
Donald Trump can indeed change the name of the Gulf of Mexico, however, he cannot force other countries to do so, so the name change would only apply in the United States.
It wouldn't be the first body of water that both countries name differently, as the river that divides the border area of Texas and the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas has two names: Americans call it Rio Grande and Mexicans know it as Rio Bravo.
The Gulf of Mexico has an approximate area of 1.55 million square kilometers (km²), is part of the Atlantic Ocean, and is surrounded by Mexico to the southwest and south, the United States to the north and northeast, and Cuba to the southeast.
The three countries share their sovereignty and maritime rights, according to international laws, especially the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Each one has rights over territorial waters (up to 12 nautical miles from the coast).