Google has initiated a change in the nomenclature of the Gulf of Mexico, now referring to it as the Gulf of America, in response to an executive order issued by United States President Donald Trump.
On Monday, the California-based technology company announced that the designation of the gulf within its applications would vary based on the user’s geographical location. According to Google, “Users accessing Maps in the U.S. will encounter ‘Gulf of America,’ while those in Mexico will see ‘Gulf of Mexico.’ Users in other regions will be presented with both names,” as stated in a blog post.
Last month, Google indicated its plans for this modification in a post on X, clarifying that it adheres to the naming conventions established by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), a database maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey.
In the same communication on X, Google also mentioned its intention to revert the name of Mount Denali in Alaska to Mount McKinley, honoring former U.S. President William McKinley, once the official database is updated in accordance with Trump’s directive.
Trump’s executive order to rename these natural landmarks was signed just hours after his inauguration on January 20, framing it as a measure to “honor American greatness.”
Mount Denali, recognized as the tallest mountain in North America, was named by the Indigenous Koyukon Athabascan community. In 1917, the United States government renamed it Mount McKinley to honor the deceased Republican president, who was assassinated by an anarchist in 1901.
In 2015, during Barack Obama’s presidency, the mountain’s original Indigenous name was reinstated prior to a presidential visit to Alaska.
The decision made by President Trump to alter the names of natural landmarks faced criticism from Indigenous groups in Alaska, leading Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to humorously propose that North America be renamed “Mexican America,” as referenced in one of the nation’s foundational documents.
