January 30, 2025, 9:47 am | Read time: 4 minutes
The Gulf of Mexico will now appear under a different name on Google Maps. TECHBOOK explains what’s behind this and whether it applies worldwide.
There are countless places, areas, and landscapes that are known to generations only by a certain name. However, their names do not have to be set in stone. In fact, their names can also change over time, with political developments sometimes playing a role. One example now concerns the display of the Gulf of Mexico on Google Maps.
Gulf of Mexico, Now Gulf of America
The Gulf of Mexico is a bay in North America that is almost completely enclosed by land. Its northern half borders the USA, while the southern part flows mainly past Mexico and to the southeast past Cuba. The name is said to have been in use since the mid-16th century.
However, the Gulf of Mexico will soon appear on Google Maps under a different name. As Forbes reports, users in the United States will only see the name Gulf of America going forward.
This change is a direct result of a decree by the former US President Donald Trump, who has approved an official renaming. As soon as official government sources are updated to this effect, the change will also be made to Google Maps. This means that the company is waiting for a change in the US Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and will then transfer it to the app.
Name Change Does Not Apply Worldwide
It has also been reported that this change will not apply globally. First and foremost, US citizens will be shown the Gulf of America. Users in Mexico will continue to see the name Gulf of Mexico in Google Maps. For users in the rest of the world, both designations are planned to be displayed.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum was already critical of Trump’s final decision to rename the area, as reported by Live 5 News. She pointed out that her colleague could apply the move to the US part of the region.
But: “For us, it’s still the Gulf of Mexico, and for the rest of the world, it’s still the Gulf of Mexico.” Therefore, it is doubtful that Mexico will accept the change. A reaction from Cuba is not yet known.
Denali Also Has a Different Name
Changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America is not the only thing Trump is pushing through. Denali in Alaska, the highest mountain in North America, is also to be called Mount McKinley again, named after the 25th President of the United States and member of the Republican Party. The mountain already bore this name from 1917 to 2015, although this is not the original name.
In fact, Denali is the traditional name of the mountain. The word comes from the language of the Koyukon Indian tribe and means “the great one” or “the high one.” Out of respect for the indigenous population, the Alaska Department of Geography decided to restore the name back in 1975. In 2015, the GNIS implemented the renaming at the federal level under the Obama administration.
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Google Shows Different Names Depending on Location
The US Department of the Interior has 30 days from the effective date of the renaming decree to implement it. However, this is not an unusual practice for Google: as there are politically controversial areas and borders around the world, different names may be displayed depending on location.
For example, users in Japan are shown the corresponding body of water as the Sea of Japan. In South Korea, on the other hand, it is called the East Sea. For all others, the name is “Sea of Japan (East Sea)”. It is expected that other map services, such as Apple Maps, will also implement the renaming in the USA.