Wednesday, January 29, 2025 - Google is complying with President Donald Trump’s executive action that renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, the company has announced saying soon, the name change will appear on Google Maps.
In a post on X on Tuesday, January 28, Google explained that
it has a “longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been
updated in official government sources.” The name will be tweaked when the
Geographic Names Information System, a government database of names and
location data, is updated.
Google will also change the name of Mount McKinley, the
nation’s highest peak, from Denali. Former President Barack Obama renamed the
Alaska landmark to Denali in 2015 as a nod to the region’s native population.
Both changes stem from an executive action that Trump signed
shortly after taking office last week, saying the changes “honour American
greatness.”
“It is in the national
interest to promote the extraordinary heritage of our Nation and ensure future
generations of American citizens celebrate the legacy of our American heroes,”
the executive order said.
The order criticized Obama’s decision to rename McKinley as
“an affront to President McKinley’s life, his achievements, and his sacrifice.”
Drawing parallels to Trump, the order notes that McKinley “championed tariffs”
and was assassinated “in an attack on our Nation’s values and our success.”
Trump is “directing that it officially be renamed the Gulf
of America.” The executive order calls for all federal government maps and
documents to “reflect its renaming.”
Google notes that only users in the United States will see
both changes because 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.”
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