Dear Editor:
Our country, the United States, is the only country in the world that claims an entire continent as part of its 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.
The reality? Mexico claims 2,046 miles of Gulf shoreline, the U.S. claims 1,632 miles. The percentage of accessible water usage (i.e. exploitation) 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
