In a move to comply with US President Donald Trump's order, Google is set to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America on Google Maps in the US.
This comes after the Trump administration’s Interior Department on Friday officially renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.
Following this, the Gulf of Mexico will soon be renamed the “Gulf of America,” and Alaska’s Denali mountain will revert to its former name of Mount McKinley in the app.
Trump signed an executive order after swearing in as the President of the United States to change these names. The US also reverted the name of the Alaskan peak known as Denali to its previous name, Mount McKinley.
These changes will come into effect after being reflected in the official federal mapping database.
Google, in a post on X, confirmed that it follows government-approved name changes.
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“We have a longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources,” the company said in a post on X.
When that happens, we will update Google Maps in the U.S. quickly to show Mount McKinley and Gulf of America.
— News from Google (@NewsFromGoogle) January 27, 2025
Moreover, Denali, North America's highest peak, will be renamed Mount McKinley once again on Google Maps, as it was originally called.
Later, the Obama administration officially renamed it Denali in 2015.
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Mexico, which also borders the Gulf, has previously expressed its opposition to Trump's suggestion of changing the name.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum reacted to Trump's pledge shortly before his inauguration, jokingly suggesting that North America, including the US, should be renamed as well.
She suggested "American Mexicana" or "Mexican America" because an 1814 founding document that preceded Mexico's constitution used that name.
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However, Google's move can create discrepancies for international users, as Google Maps will show the name "Gulf of America" for American users, but for users in Mexico, it will still be referred to as the Gulf of Mexico.
(With inputs from agencies)