Google has announced plans to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” for U.S. Google Maps users, following an executive order by former President Donald Trump during his first week in office.
The renaming, part of Trump’s push to assert American dominance, was highlighted in his inaugural address, where he proclaimed, “A short time from now, we are going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.”
The change will only appear for users within the United States. “We’ve received a few questions about naming within Google Maps,” Google said in a statement on Monday. “We have a longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources.”
Trump’s executive orders also include restoring Mount Denali’s former name, Mount McKinley, for U.S. users. “The decision honors President William McKinley, who made the U.S. ‘very rich’ through tariffs and talent,” Trump said.
Alaska’s Indigenous groups and Senator Lisa Murkowski criticized the move. “Denali must continue to be known by the rightful name bestowed by Alaska’s Koyukon Athabascans,” Murkowski stated.
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum dismissed the Gulf renaming as “irrelevant,” maintaining that globally, it remains the Gulf of Mexico.