Trump Pushes to Rename Gulf of Mexico, Google Quickly Complies
In a surprising move, former US President Donald Trump issued an executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America shortly after assuming office. Expressing his reasoning, Trump stated that the new name had a “beautiful ring” and added, “It’s appropriate. And Mexico has to stop allowing millions of people to pour into our country.”
https://x.com/NewsFromGoogle/status/1884012751246475394
Official Implementation of the Name Change
Days later, the Trump administration's interior department confirmed that the name change had been officially implemented. A statement from the department read:
“As directed by the president, the Gulf of Mexico will now officially be known as the Gulf of America, and North America’s highest peak will once again bear the name Mount McKinley.”
Just a day after this announcement, Google made its own statement, confirming that the company would reflect the new name on Google Maps for US users. Notably, Google made the change without any resistance, raising questions about how geographic name updates are handled on digital platforms.
Google’s Reasoning Behind the Change
Google explained its decision, stating that the tech giant follows an established protocol for applying official geographic name updates in accordance with government records. Specifically, Google mentioned the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) as the authoritative source for such modifications.
https://x.com/NewsFromGoogle/status/1884012692048166951
However, the name change applies only to Google Maps in the US. For users in Mexico, the body of water will continue to be labelled as the Gulf of Mexico.
How Google Handles Geographic Naming Disputes
Google defended its approach by saying,
“When official names vary between countries, Maps users see their official local name. Everyone in the rest of the world sees both names. That applies here too.”
https://x.com/NewsFromGoogle/status/1884012872768053467
This isn’t the first time Google has made region-specific changes to geographic names. A similar policy was applied in Japan and South Korea, where the disputed sea between the two nations appears as “Sea of Japan (East Sea).”
In another case, in 2012, Iran threatened legal action against Google for removing the name "Persian Gulf" from its mapping services, leaving the waterway unnamed. Presently, Google Maps labels the water body as "Persian Gulf (Arabian Gulf).”
With political influence playing a role in geographic naming, Google's compliance with government directives continues to spark debates on digital cartography and neutrality.