"Gulf of America" redirects here. For the Russian waters formerly known as the Gulf of America, seeNakhodka Bay. For the coastline along the southern U.S., seeGulf Coast of the United States.
Detail of theUniversalis Cosmographia (1507) byMartin Waldseemüller, showing the name "America", specifically referring to what is now known asSouth America. Later, in 1538,Gerardus Mercator expanded the use of the term America to designate the entire continent in his maps.[7]
Amerigo Vespucci, along with other explorers, is credited with the first European exploration of the Gulf of Mexico and theYucatán Channel, between 1497 and 1498. He navigated theStraits of Florida, and continued northward up toChesapeake Bay before returning to Spain. It has been disputed, however, that the voyage actually took place.[8][9]
For centuries, the Gulf of Mexico has been recognized by that name—derived from the termMexica (the Nahuatl name for the Aztecs[10]). It began to be used on early European maps in 1550,[4][11][12] and the name soon became established in internationalcartography and legal usage by bodies such as theInternational Hydrographic Organization.[13][6]
Steve Holland, aDemocraticstate representative from Mississippi, jokingly introduced a 2012 bill proposing the name change. In a radio interview at the time, he explained that the Mississippi GOP appeared dedicated to pushing anything Mexican out of the state, so renaming the gulf would help with that cause. "This new majority goes against a lot of the tenets of New Testament Christianity that I've based 29 years of legislation on," Holland toldNPR. "They want to kick immigrants out of the state, they want to drug-test Medicaid people, they want to get rid of anything that's not 'America'. So I just thought it would be in keeping to introduce a bill to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. It fits right in with what the majority thinking apparently is now."[17][18][19]
The bill was introduced to theU.S. House of Representatives on January 9, 2025.[20] In a January 15-16, 2025 poll of US registered voters, 72% opposed the renaming while 28% supported it.[21] On May 8, 2025, the House narrowly approved the bill, but it is uncertain whether theSenate will take action.[22]
On January 20, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14172 directing the interior secretary to adopt the name Gulf of America, specifying an area of the U.S. continental shelf "extending to the seaward boundary with Mexico and Cuba."[23][24][25] TheU.S. Interior Department confirmed thatUS federal agencies would use the name Gulf of America from January 24, 2025.[26] As anexecutive order, this does not compel the use of the new name by non-federal agencies, private companies, or foreign entities.[27] Trump declared February 9, 2025, to be "Gulf of America Day".[28]
Reactions among U.S. political figures and agencies have been mixed. Proponents of the renaming argue that it reinforces an "America First" agenda and reflects a renewed emphasis on national heritage.[29][30][31] Several state officials fromGulf Coast states have at times supported the change in official documents.[32][33]
A February 2025 poll byMarquette University found that, among 1,018 respondents nationwide, 71% opposed the Gulf of America renaming and 29% supported the name change.[34][35] In a February 2025 poll of 871 registered voters in Florida who were active by theUniversity of North Florida found that 58% of overall respondents opposed renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, 31% supported it, 10% said they were not sure and 1% refused to answer the question.[36][37]
Since February 10, 2025,Google Maps andGoogle Earth have varied the name displayed for the gulf based on device location settings.[38][39][40]Apple Maps andBing Maps have also changed their label for the gulf.[41][42]MapQuest refused to alter the name, joking that they had lost the ability to update their information when owned byAOL in the 2000s. They also said that they follow the naming conventions from theGeographic Names Information System (GNIS).[43] Since February 18, 2025, the GNIS has shown the name of the gulf as "Gulf of America".[44]
Various bodies and media outlets reacted to the federal action, with most saying thatcommon usage for the gulf would prevail.[45][46] Among prominent media outlets,Axios andFox News adopted the change, withUSA Today using both names in tandem.[47][48] On February 11, the White House chose to not invite anAssociated Press (AP) reporter to an event in theOval Office over the AP's decision to continue using "Gulf of Mexico," which the AP executive editorJulie Pace condemned as a violation of itsFirst Amendment rights.[49]
If we feel there are lies being pushed by outlets in this room, we are going to hold those lies accountable ... And it is a fact that the body of water off the coast of Louisiana is called the Gulf of America, and I'm not sure why news outlets don't want to call it that but that is what it is.[50]
On February 14, theWhite House deputy chief of staff,Taylor Budowich, announced that Associated Press journalists were banned indefinitely from theOval Office andAir Force One due to their decision to continue using "Gulf of Mexico", with Budowich accusing the Associated Press of "commitment to misinformation" and "irresponsible and dishonest reporting".[51][52] TheWhite House Correspondents Association responded that the White House has "publicly admitted they are restricting access to events to punish a news outlet for not advancing the government's preferred language", and argued that this violated President Trump's "executive order on freedom of speech and ending federal censorship".[51] On February 18, Trump said that the Associated Press would continue to be barred "until such time as they agree that it's the Gulf of America".[53] On April 8, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction that would take effect on April 13 requiring the White House to reinstate Associated Press access.[54]
On June 16, theTrump Organization announced the launch of a telecommunications company calledTrump Mobile. Later that day, the firm removed its cellular coverage map "after sharp-eyed users noticed" that the Gulf of Mexico was shown with that name rather than with Trump's preferred name.[55]
Obviously the Gulf of Mexico is recognized by the United Nations... but why don't we call [North America] "Mexican America"? We're going to call it Mexican America....It sounds pretty, no? Isn't it true?[56][57]
After Google Maps revised the gulf's display name, Sheinbaum suedGoogle, reiterating that United States sovereignty is limited to 12nautical miles from the coast.[58][59]
^abLimits of Oceans and Seas(PDF) (3rd ed.). International Hydrographic Organization. 1953. p. 14. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on October 8, 2011. RetrievedDecember 28, 2020.
^Barrado Navascués, David (2023).Cosmography in the Age of Discovery and the Scientific Revolution. p. 80.
^"Why are the Aztecs called Mexicas?" [Why are the Aztecs called Mexicas?]. Mexican Routes. November 23, 2023.Archived from the original on March 16, 2024. RetrievedNovember 23, 2023.
