Google Maps starts displaying “Gulf of America” on its platform

Google Maps has begun displaying the name “Gulf of America” on its platform following an Executive Order directing U.S. federal institutions to rename the Gulf of Mexico.

Users in the United States now see “Gulf of America” when hovering over the area in Google Maps, while users in other countries see both names. In Mexico, the name remains unchanged.

Google previously stated that it would apply the name changes to Maps once they were officially updated in the U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The company also noted that displayed names would vary by country, explaining that users would see their official local name, while others around the world would see both names in accordance with a “longstanding practice.”

As one of his first presidential actions, President Trump signed an Executive Order directing the name changes for the Gulf of Mexico and Mount Denali.

The order instructed the Secretary of the Interior to update the 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.

Trump has also issued a proclamation declaring February 9 as Gulf of America Day. “As my Administration restores American pride in the history of American greatness, it is fitting and appropriate for our great Nation to come together and commemorate this momentous occasion and the renaming of the Gulf of America,” Trump said.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum sent a letter to Google requesting that the name not be changed. She displayed the letter to reporters during a news conference, stating that her request argued the United States could not unilaterally rename the body of water since it is shared with Cuba and Mexico.