On Monday, Google renamed the Gulf of Mexico as ‘Gulf of America’ for users accessing its Maps service
within the United States, adhering to an executive decree from President Donald Trump.
In a blog entry, the tech powerhouse noted that individuals outside of the United States will continue to see
both the original and updated name for the Gulf of Mexico, similar to other contested locations.
“Users in the U.S. will observe ‘Gulf of America,’ while those in Mexico will see ‘Gulf of Mexico.’ Everyone
else will view both titles,” Google stated.
The company mentioned that this alteration is consistent with its stance of aligning with the official U.S.
government geographical titles as per the Geographic Names Information System.
After taking office, Trump enacted executive orders that not only changed the Gulf of Mexico’s name but also
reverted Denali, the highest mountain in America, back to its prior designation of Mt. McKinley.
In 2015, former President Barack Obama formally acknowledged the Alaskan peak as Denali, the name that
has been utilized by Alaska Natives for generations.
Trump’s name changes drew backlash from Indigenous organizations in Alaska, who have long supported the
retention of the Denali name, and raised diplomatic issues with Mexico.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum humorously proposed referring to the United States as ‘Mexican
America,’ alluding to a map from before the United States acquired one-third of her country in 1848.
