Google Maps officially updated the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America on Monday.
Among many other executive orders, President Donald Trump decreed on the day of his inauguration that the Gulf of Mexico would be renamed the Gulf of America. This executive order also reverses an Obama-era move to rename Mount McKinley to Denali, the name that Indigenous people have used for centuries. Similarly, the name Gulf of Mexico has been the most prevalent name for the body of water since the 16th century.
The president stated that these names are part of a gesture toward “[restoring] American pride in the history of American greatness.”
As of Monday afternoon, Google Maps users in the United States will see the Gulf of Mexico’s name changed to be the Gulf of America. International users will see both names, while Mexican users will only see the Gulf of Mexico. Google already stated in January that it would comply with Trump’s executive order once the place names were updated in the United States’ Geographic Names Information System.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she would send a letter to Google questioning the company’s decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico on Google Maps. But Google’s decision to change the name of the gulf is consistent with its existing policies around how to navigate naming differences between countries. On mobile, Google changes Maps to align with the user’s country location, determined by the user’s operating system, SIM, and network.
While Google has complied with Trump’s order, Apple has not yet updated the name of the Gulf of Mexico or Denali on its Maps app. When searching “Gulf of America” on Apple Maps, the app did not yield any results.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Apple CEO Tim Cook both attended Trump’s inauguration; Cook personally donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund, while Google also made a $1 million contribution.
Update, 2/10/25, 9:30 PM ET with additional information from Google.
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