Google announced on Monday (January 27) that following the executive order issued by President Trump, the company will rename the “Gulf of Mexico” on Google Maps to “Gulf of America.”
In a post on its X social media platform on Monday evening, Google explained, “We have received some questions regarding the naming on Google Maps. Our longstanding practice has been to update names when they are updated in official government data.”
When the Geographic Names Information System, a U.S. government database that includes data on place names and people’s names, is updated, Google will adjust the names accordingly.
Google also stated that it will begin using the name “Mount McKinley” to refer to the highest peak in North America located in Alaska, which is currently known as “Denali.”
The U.S. Department of the Interior announced last Friday that these two names have been officially changed in accordance with the executive order signed by Trump on his first day in office.
According to the executive order, both locations must change their names on official maps and federal communications.
Google further added on Monday that the name “Gulf of Mexico” will continue to be displayed to users in Mexico, while users in other countries will see both the old and new names simultaneously.
Explaining why this body of water is labeled differently in the United States, Mexico, and elsewhere in the world, Google added, “When official names differ between countries, map users will see the name officially recognized in their local area. People around the world can see both names. This also applies here.”
The peak in Alaska was previously known as Mount McKinley, in honor of former U.S. President William McKinley, but was renamed Denali in 1975 at the request of the state, as the name means “tall” in the local indigenous language.