Google Maps to RENAME Gulf of Mexico to ‘Gulf of America’ 

Google Maps to RENAME Gulf of Mexico to 'Gulf of America'. Credit | Reuters
Google Maps to RENAME Gulf of Mexico to 'Gulf of America'. Credit | Reuters

United States: Google Maps in the United States will use the term “Gulf of America” instead of “Gulf of Mexico” under instructions from Donald Trump through his executive order. 

More about the news 

The name will remain the Gulf of Mexico in Mexico, but users living outside of the US and Mexico will see both names on Google Maps

According to an executive order from Donald Trump released on January 20th, Mount McKinley in Alaska will be renamed Denali, which is the North American continent’s highest peak. 

According to Google in its post on X, “We have a longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government,” the Guardian reported. 

“When official names vary between countries, Maps users see their official local name. Everyone in the rest of the world sees both names. That applies here too,” Google added. 

Google Maps to RENAME Gulf of Mexico to ‘Gulf of America’ 

About the decision 

Soon after being sworn in as president, the leader signed an urgent executive order that fulfilled his original campaign renewal program. 

According to the Interior Department, “As directed by the president, the Gulf of Mexico will now officially be known as the Gulf of America, and North America’s highest peak will once again bear the name Mount McKinley.” 

The Google Maps service will be updated after the US government’s geographic names information system receives modernized name entries, according to Google. 

During Trump’s inauguration speech, Trump pledged to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico, while Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum suggested renaming both countries with a funny alternative to America. 

Google Maps to RENAME Gulf of Mexico to 'Gulf of America' 
Google Maps to RENAME Gulf of Mexico to ‘Gulf of America’ 

She suggested “América Mexicana” or “Mexican America” since an 1814 founding document that existed before Mexico’s constitution used that name. 

Google makes duplicate naming decisions in locations where territorial naming confusion exists, the Guardian reported. 

The Iranian government threatened to file legal claims targeting Google in 2012 following the company’s decision to deny “Persian Gulf” status in Google Maps while refusing to give the Iranian-Arabian waterway any name at all. 

This water body displays both Persian Gulf (Arabian Gulf) titles depending on the country where the user resides.