Google Maps will comply with the request of Donald Trump's government and will display the name "Gulf of America" instead of Gulf of Mexico in its application. The change was ordered by U.S. authorities following Trump's takeover.
According to a statement from Google, the modification will not be universal and will only be visible to some users in the United States. The company stated that it adheres to changes when they come from official government sources. Other planned updates include the changing of the name of Denali Mountain to Mount McKinley.
Google is expected to update the names on its platform when the United States officially updates the maps from the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The company committed to making the changes quickly to reflect the new designation in the Gulf of Mexico, shared by several countries.
So far, the order for modification in the GNIS is in process, and the maps have not yet been updated. While Google will implement the changes, it is unknown if Apple's Maps application will follow the same modification.
As for the display in Google Maps, it is expected that Mexican users will continue to see "Gulf of Mexico," while in the United States it will appear as "Gulf of America." Other countries will see both names, with "Gulf of Mexico" being the primary and "Gulf of America" in parentheses.
This practice by Google of allowing different ways to refer to a territory, as in the case of the Persian Gulf and Arabian Gulf in the Middle East, is particularly done in disputed or controversial areas. Even the name change of the Gulf sparked comments, such as those from Claudia Sheinbaum, president of Mexico, who defended the country's sovereignty and joked suggesting that the United States should be called "Mexican America."
Source: The New York Times.
