The company Google has decided to change the name of Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America on its maps for the United States, following the orders of U.S. President Donald Trump. The name change was made in line with Trump's decision to rename the gulf and other geographical references as part of his early initiatives after taking office.
The multinational explained that it has received instructions to update the name of the gulf on its maps because Gulf of America is the current official name for the United States. This change is part of the objective to follow official government sources to keep geographical information updated in its Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) in the United States.
In addition to the change in the name of the gulf, Google will also make adjustments to the designation of Mount McKinley in Alaska, which was previously called Mount Denali. These changes will only affect users accessing the maps in the United States, as both names will continue to be shown in the rest of the world.
The American technology company indicates that the visualization of geographical names will vary depending on the country from which Google Maps is accessed, displaying the local official name. In this way, the name Gulf of America will be exclusive to users in the United States, while in the rest of the world, the traditional designation Gulf of Mexico will be maintained.
