President Trump orders Gulf of Mexico to become Gulf of America

WASHINGTON — One of President Donald Trump's first executive orders has sparked a lot of conversation. It aims to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America." The president said the name change is part of America reclaiming its "rightful place as the greatest, most powerful, most respected nation on Earth, inspiring the awe and admiration of the entire world.

" The president's order directs the Secretary of the Interior to update the federal government's Geographic Names Information System to rename the Gulf within 30 days. As of Jan. 22, that system has not been updated online.

By Feb. 19, federal maps, contacts and other documents must reflect the name change. But other countries aren't required to use the new name.

The U.S. is part of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), which is an intergovernmental group that makes sure the world's navigable waters are surveyed and charted.

In 2020, after controversy over other bodies of water, the IHO replaced names of places with numerical identifiers – so it doesn't have a formal name listed for that body water. Meanwhile, companies like Google and Apple still have the name listed as the "Gulf of Mexico." And Mexico's president has already rejected the name change, saying if the Gulf gets renamed, the U.

S. should be called "Mexican America." So, while the federal government will soon refer to the body of water as the "Gulf of America," other countries won't have to.

There is also no mandate for private companies to use the new name..