In a surprising move, Google Maps has updated the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America” for users accessing the app in the United States. The change, which took effect on Monday, has sparked controversy and debate, particularly from Mexico, which has strongly opposed the renaming.
Google explained that the update is part of its policy to reflect official government sources. “We follow a longstanding practice of updating names on our platform when changes are made by authoritative bodies,” a Google spokesperson said. The tech giant clarified that the name change would not apply to users in Mexico, where the body of water will continue to be labeled as the Gulf of Mexico. For users outside the US and Mexico, the app will display both names: “Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America).”
The decision follows an executive order signed by former US President Donald Trump, who returned to office last month. The order mandated that the Gulf of Mexico be renamed the Gulf of America in all US government documents. Trump described the move as part of his broader effort to “restore names that honor American Greatness.”
The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), a US government database managed by the Interior Department, officially updated the Gulf’s name earlier this week. The GNIS entry now reads: “The Gulf of America, formerly known as the Gulf of Mexico, with an average depth of 5,300 feet, is a major body of water bordered and nearly landlocked by North America, with its eastern, northern, and northwestern shores in the U.S. and its southwestern and southern shores in Mexico.”
The renaming has drawn sharp criticism from Mexico. President Claudia Sheinbaum called the move “unilateral and legally baseless,” arguing that the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea stipulates that a country’s sovereign territory extends only 12 nautical miles from its coastline. She urged Google to reconsider its decision, stating that the Gulf of Mexico is a shared geographical feature with historical and cultural significance for both nations.
In addition to the Gulf’s renaming, Trump’s executive order also called for North America’s tallest mountain, Denali, to be renamed Mount McKinley. However, Google Maps has yet to implement this change.
The rebranding has also sparked mixed reactions within the US. While some have praised the move as a celebration of national identity, others have criticized it as unnecessary and provocative. The Alabama Museum of Natural History, for instance, has expressed concerns about the implications of the name change on historical and educational materials.
As the debate continues, the Gulf of Mexico—or Gulf of America—remains a symbol of the complex relationship between the US and its southern neighbor. Whether the name change will gain widespread acceptance or remain a point of contention remains to be seen.