Skeans: The Gulf of America?

Letter to the editor

The Gulf of America?

America. Our country, the United States, is the only country in the world who claims an entire continent as part of their country. No one says – Germany of Europe or Brazil of America. Just us. When, in actuality, there are one billion people living in the American continents. One billion Americans. But they don’t have the temerity to claim an entire continent as theirs. Just us.

North America claims 27 countries, yet many of them we would consider to be Central America or even Caribbean Islands, but the countries of Canada, the U.S., Mexico, Honduras, Panama, and even Cuba and the Bahamas are part of the North American continent. South America contains 12 countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia and Peru. Yet none of them claim to be THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. Just us.  

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The reality? Mexico claims 2046 miles of Gulf shoreline, the U.S. claims 1632 miles. As for the percentage of accessible water usage (“usage” i.e. exploitation), the edge goes slightly to the U.S., with 40% of the Gulf water access; Mexico claims 38%. The remaining 12% may surprise you: Cuba lays claim to the water.  

So, Gulf of America? Which one? In my opinion, a better choice would be Gulf of the Americas. The U.S. does not own that body of water; we use it, we access it from our shores just as thousands of other Americans do. Generally changing the name of an entity, even a street, takes a vote by the people who use it. Not a mandate.  

Gulf of the Americas. It has a nice ring to it. Unless, of course, you think American means just the people who live in the United States. 

Leslie Skeans, Hawthorne

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  • Of it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

    Never has been broken. Unfortunately it’s just another idiotic suggestion from someone who only thinks he’s smarter than everybody else and has almost as many lemmings as his predecessor.

  • Nothing wrong with the Gulf of Mexico. Just leave it be. People are beyond ridiculous now.

    Let’s not get so sidetracked with meaning gestures

    • Unfortunately, some people think it shouldn’t be referred to as the “Gulf of Mexico.”
      Even more disturbing, some people agree.

  • HOW do you feel about Canada & Greenland????
    I certainly did NOT vote for his “royal hienie”!!!!

    • I wager you did vote for the fustercluck local ‘gubbmint’. How is that working for ya’?

  • It’s all about the right to drill for oil or gas since Biden wanted to stop drilling in the Gulf of Mexico we can now drill iin the Gulf of America !

  • Realistically all the “other” Americas depend on us dragging on the teet, so its should be the Gulf of America, remember our country is named the United States of America!!.

  • “…the only country in the world who claims an entire continent as part of their country.” Sorry, Australia. Somehow you don’t count

  • I’d understand your concerns if he wanted to rename it “The Gulf of the United States”. However, it is a gulf, it invaginates into the continent of North America, and it only partially borders the country of Mexico. There is no such gulf in South America. So, designating this body of water “The Gulf of America” actually makes sense from a cartography perspective as being highly descriptive and uniquely specific to this body of water.

  • You are late to the movie. WE ,the USA, claimed the area(the continent) a long time ago. It is mentioned in some OLD history books. You may have missed it.
    I don’t believe it has been challenged in a while. I have never heard anyone complain, why now?

  • Why stop there?

    Please rename the “Atlantic Ocean” to “The Mar-a-Lago Backyard Lake.”

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