Google Maps to Rename 'Gulf of Mexico' to 'Gulf of America' for U.S. Users

Google Maps will update the 'Gulf of Mexico' label to 'Gulf of America' for U.S. users following a U.S. government decision, but the name will remain unchanged in Mexico.

Google Maps will change the name of the 'Gulf of Mexico' to 'Gulf of America' for U.S. users, following an update from the U.S. Geographic Names System.

This change, announced by Google in an X post on Monday, will only affect users in the U.S., while the name 'Gulf of Mexico' will remain in place for users in Mexico.

For users outside both countries, both names will be visible on Google Maps.

This decision follows a directive from the Trump administration's Interior Department, which officially renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the 'Gulf of America' as part of a series of name changes, including the renaming of Denali, the highest peak in North America, back to Mount McKinley.

President Donald Trump issued this order shortly after taking office in January 2017. Google’s decision reflects the company’s practice of using location-based labeling conventions for disputed names.

The company has faced similar issues in the past, such as labeling the body of water between Japan and South Korea as 'Sea of Japan (East Sea)' outside the two nations.

In 2012, Iran threatened legal action against Google for removing the term 'Persian Gulf' from its maps in favor of an ambiguous name, which was later changed to 'Persian Gulf (Arabian Gulf)' in various countries.