Google has confirmed that it will update Google Maps to reflect the new name “Gulf of America”
Google has confirmed that it will update Google Maps to reflect the new names “Gulf of America” and “Mount McKinley” as directed by President Donald Trump’s executive order.
Google announced in an X post on Monday that it will apply the name changes to Maps once they are officially updated in the U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
Part of Google‘s statement on X states, and I quote: “We have a longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources.
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“When that happens, we will update Google Maps in the U.S. quickly to show Mount McKinley and Gulf of America.”
So, what are these changes all about? Well, The Gulf of Mexico will now be known as the Gulf of America, and Mount Denali will revert to its previous name, Mount McKinley.” These changes are part of an effort to align Google Maps with official government sources. But what does this mean for users, and how will it affect our navigation and exploration of these areas?
As part of President Trump’s ‘Making America Great Again Mantra,’ Trump signed an Executive Order directing the name changes for both the Gulf of Mexico and Mount Denali on his first day in office. A decision that President Trump has stated was based on a “national interest” to promote U.S. heritage and “celebrate the legacy of American heroes.”
The Executive order directs the Secretary of the Interior to update the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) within 30 days to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America within the U.S. Continental Shelf. This area is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, extending to the seaward boundary with Mexico and Cuba.
The mountain was named Mount McKinley until 2015 when President Barack Obama’s administration changed it to Denali as a symbolic gesture to Alaska Natives.
The updates to Google Maps includes renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and also changing Mount Denali to Mount McKinley. This updates mark a unique shift in how we refer to these locations. While these changes may cause initial confusion, they underscore the importance of accuracy and consistency in geographical naming.
As Google continues to update its maps to reflect these changes, it will be interesting to see how users adapt and how these updates impact our understanding and navigation of the world around us.
