The US Department of the Interior announced on Friday that the Gulf of Mexico has been renamed the Gulf of America and that Alaska’s Denali has been changed back to Mount McKinley.
These changes come in keeping with President Donald Trump’s post-election promise and the executive order he signed immediately after taking office.
In a news release, the Interior Department stated that the name changes “reaffirm the Nation’s commitment to preserving the extraordinary heritage of the United States and ensuring that future generations of Americans celebrate the legacy of its heroes and historic assets.”
The U.S. Board on Geographic Names will now update “the official federal nomenclature in the Geographic Names Information System to reflect these changes, effective immediately for federal use,” the agency added.
While the Gulf of America will be used in federal references, other nations are not required to recognize the name.
Mexico and the U.S. share nearly equal coastline miles along the Gulf. According to the U.S. State Department, the maritime border in the Gulf begins at the centre of the mouth of the Rio Grande and runs in a fixed-line. The U.S. has maritime jurisdiction over its portion of the Gulf of Mexico, while Mexico has over its portion.
Trump disclosed his plans to change the Gulf’s name during the presidential transition. In response, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum held a news conference. At the conference, she stood before a 17th-century world map and jokingly suggested that North America should be renamed “Mexican America.”
Denali To McKinley
In 2015, then-President Barack Obama renamed Mount McKinley Denali, the traditional Native Alaskan name. Although Mount McKinley is the official federal designation, it has long been informally known in Alaska as Denali.
Last month, Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska criticized Trump’s plan to change Denali’s name. “You can’t improve upon the name that Alaska’s Koyukon Athabascans bestowed on North America’s tallest peak, Denali – the Great One,” Murkowski said.
“For years, I advocated in Congress to restore the rightful name for this majestic mountain to respect Alaska’s first people who have lived on these lands for thousands of years. This is an issue that should not be relitigated.”
The Interior Department’s decision to rename these landmarks has sparked debate and controversy, reflecting the ongoing tension between preserving historical names and honouring traditional heritage.
William McKinley
Mount McKinley is named after William McKinley, the 25th President of the United States. Born to humble beginnings in Ohio, McKinley was a teacher before becoming a lawyer and is reputed to have fought in the Civil War on the side of the Confederates.
McKinley was elected president in 1896 and had the same policy of protective tariffs as Donald Trump.
In 1901, during his second term, he was shot while attending the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. Despite initial hope for his recovery, he later succumbed to his injuries.
McKinley’s legacy lived on, and one of the most notable tributes was Mount McKinley, the tallest peak in North America.
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