Google Maps to rename 'Gulf of Mexico' to 'Gulf of America' for US users

Waves crash on the shore of the Gulf of Mexico, after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, in Boca del Rio, Veracruz state, Mexico, Jan. 21.

Waves crash on the shore of the Gulf of Mexico, after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, in Boca del Rio, Veracruz state, Mexico, Jan. 21. (Yahir Ceballos, Reuters)


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KEY TAKEAWAYS
  • Google Maps will rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America for U.S. users.
  • The change follows Trump's executive order to update federal maps with new names.
  • The Associated Press will maintain original names globally, recognizing Trump's U.S.-specific changes.

WASHINGTON — You won't be able to find the Gulf of Mexico or Denali on Google Maps anymore, at least by those names.

In a post on X Monday, Google said it has received a few questions about naming within Google Maps. "We have a longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources," the company wrote.

Google will rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America and restore Denali in Alaska, the highest peak in North America, to its previous name, Mount McKinley.

President Donald Trump signed the "Restoring Names that Honor American Greatness" executive order on his first day in office. It requires the Secretary of the Interior to update all federal maps, databases and documents with the name change within 30 days.

The names will be changed when the Geographic Names Information System, a government database of names and location data, is updated, per CNN.

Google said 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."

Changing with style

The Associated Press Stylebook, a grammar and usage guide used by many American news outlets, will also reflect the Trump administration changes, though with a caveat in one case.

The Associated Press notes the Gulf of Mexico has carried its name for more than 400 years and has shared borders between the U.S. and Mexico. Trump's order only carries authority within the United States. Mexico, as well as other countries and international bodies, do not have to recognize the name change, per AP.

"The Associated Press will refer to it by its original name while acknowledging the new name Trump has chosen. As a global news agency that disseminates news around the world, the Associated Press must ensure that place names and geography are easily recognizable to all audiences," according to the news outlet.

The Associated Press will refer to Denali as Mount McKinley, noting the area lies solely in the United States and as president, Trump has the authority to change federal geographical names within the country.

Former President Barack Obama changed the official name to Denali in 2015 to reflect the traditions of Alaska Natives as well as the preference of many Alaska residents, per the Associated Press. Trump said in his executive order that he wanted to "restore the name of a great president, William McKinley, to Mount McKinley."

Naming rights

Trump executive action says the changes "honor 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 comparisons to Trump, the order says that McKinley "championed tariffs" and was assassinated "in an attack on our Nation's values and our success," per CNN.

Alaska's two senators oppose the name change, saying Denali serves as a needed reminder of the state's deep Indigenous history, per NBC News .

In a nod to the Gulf of Mexico's contributions to the U.S. economy, Trump is "directing that it officially be renamed the Gulf of America."

The Associated Press reported that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum "couldn't help but laugh" at Trump's name change.

"He says that he will call it the Gulf of America on its continental shelf," Sheinbaum said. "For us it is still the Gulf of Mexico, and for the entire world it is still the Gulf of Mexico."

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.

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Dennis Romboy, Deseret NewsDennis Romboy
Dennis Romboy is an editor and reporter for the Deseret News. He has covered a variety of beats over the years, including state and local government, social issues and courts. A Utah native, Romboy earned a degree in journalism from the University of Utah. He enjoys cycling, snowboarding and running.

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