Google Officially Changes the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America On Maps

Google has officially renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America in its Maps app. In an announcement shared on X, Google explained that it would be adopting the name change as part of its ongoing policy of using officially recognized names from government sources. This decision comes after President Donald Trump issued an executive order to rename the Gulf and the federal Board on Geographic Names formally approved the change on Monday.

“We have a longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources,” Google explained.

The Geographic Names Information System, a division of the United States Geological Survey, provides the names that are used in Google Maps.

Another location affected by name changes is Mount Denali in Alaska, which is set to revert to its original name, Mount McKinley, following Trump’s executive order on January 20. Google stated that the name change will be rolled out “quickly” once the name system has been updated.

The change for the Gulf of Mexico will also extend to other areas. According to Google, both names will be displayed where applicable.

“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 clarified.

A good example of this naming practice is the Sea of Japan, or East Sea, a name that has been the subject of a territorial dispute between Japan and South Korea. In Google Maps within the United States, the sea is listed as the Sea of Japan (East Sea).

The same approach to name displays will be applied to the Gulf of Mexico in locations outside of the U.S.

{Matzav.com}