Google Announces It Will Make Partial 'Gulf of America' Name Change
Google announced on Monday that the company will implement the new Gulf of America name as soon as official government sources use the moniker.
President Donald Trump issued an executive order shortly after taking office mandating that the Gulf of Mexico be renamed to the “Gulf of America” and that Mt. Denali in Alaska be returned to the name Mt. McKinley.
Google said in a thread on X that the company has “received a few questions about naming within Google Maps” and explained that it has “a longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources.”
We’ve received a few questions about naming within Google Maps. We have a longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources.
— News from Google (@NewsFromGoogle) January 27, 2025
For geographic features in the United States, the company depends on formal name changes made in the Geographic Names Information System, which is run by the U.S. Geological Survey, a government agency that is part of the Department of the Interior.
Google made clear that “when that happens, we will update Google Maps in the U.S. quickly to show Mount McKinley and Gulf of America.”
But those changes will only partially take effect in other countries.
“Also longstanding practice: When official names vary between countries, Maps users see their official local name,” Google continued.
“Everyone in the rest of the world sees both names. That applies here too.”
Two individuals with knowledge of the company’s plans told The New York Times that users elsewhere in the world will indeed see the name “Gulf of Mexico” followed by the name “Gulf of America” in parentheses.
Google users in Mexico will still see the “Gulf of Mexico” name without “Gulf of America” added.
Trump said in an executive order signed on his first day in office that the name changes reflect a desire to “promote the extraordinary heritage of our Nation and ensure future generations of American citizens celebrate the legacy of our American heroes.”
“The area formerly known as the Gulf of Mexico has long been an integral asset to our once burgeoning Nation and has remained an indelible part of America,” Trump commented.
“The Gulf will continue to play a pivotal role in shaping America’s future and the global economy, and in recognition of this flourishing economic resource and its critical importance to our Nation’s economy and its people, I am directing that it officially be renamed the Gulf of America.”
Trump has in recent months repeatedly commended William McKinley, who relied heavily on tariffs to raise federal revenue and said in the order that the former president “should be honored for his steadfast commitment to American greatness.”
Former President Barack Obama switched the name of Mt. McKinley to Mt. Denali in 2015.
The mountain is the highest peak in North America.
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