Google is complying with President Donald Trump’s executive action that renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. Soon, the name change will appear on Google Maps.
In a post on X, Google explained that it has a “longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources.”
The name will be tweaked when the Geographic Names Information System, a government database of names and location data, is updated.
Google will also change the name of Mount McKinley, the nation’s highest peak, from Denali. Former President Barack Obama renamed the Alaska landmark to Denali in 2015 as a nod to the region’s native population.
Both changes stem from an executive action that Trump signed shortly after taking office last week, saying the changes “honour American greatness”.
“It is in the national interest to promote the extraordinary heritage of our Nation and ensure future generations of American citizens celebrate the legacy of our American heroes,” the executive order said.
The order criticised Obama’s decision to rename McKinley as “an affront to President McKinley’s life, his achievements, and his sacrifice”. Drawing parallels to Trump, the order notes that McKinley “championed tariffs” and was assassinated “in an attack on our Nation’s values and our success”.
And in a nod to the Gulf of Mexico’s contributions to the US economy, Trump is “directing that it officially be renamed the Gulf of America.” The executive order calls for all federal government maps and documents to “reflect its renaming”.
Google notes that only users in the United States will see both changes because 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.”