Google Maps will rename the “Gulf of Mexico” as the “Gulf of America” for U.S. users, the company announced Monday in a post on X (formerly Twitter). The change will align with the U.S. Geographic Names System following an official renaming by the Trump administration’s Interior Department.
The update will apply to U.S. users, while the name will remain “Gulf of Mexico” within Mexico. Outside both countries, Google Maps will display both names: “Gulf of America (Gulf of Mexico).”
The renaming is part of a series of executive actions President Donald Trump signed hours after taking office on January 20, fulfilling a campaign promise to restore “traditional” American geographic names. Along with the Gulf of America, Trump also ordered North America’s tallest peak, Denali, to revert to its former name, Mount McKinley.
“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,” the U.S. Interior Department said in a statement last week.
Google, owned by Alphabet (GOOGL.O), confirmed the change in response to the executive order, mirroring a similar update for Mount McKinley. A Google spokesperson directed Reuters to the company’s announcement on X, emphasizing that the platform applies locale-based labeling for regions with naming disputes.
Google Maps has previously handled contested names by using dual or alternate labels. For instance, the water body between Japan and South Korea is marked as the “Sea of Japan (East Sea)” outside the respective nations. Similarly, the Persian Gulf is labeled “Persian Gulf (Arabian Gulf)” in some regions after a 2012 dispute involving Iran.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum recently joked about renaming North America as “Mexican America,” referencing historic maps of the region. The U.S. renaming, however, has sparked debates on cultural and political sensitivities tied to geographic names.
For U.S. users, the Gulf of America update is expected to roll out in upcoming Google Maps updates, alongside the changes to Mount McKinley. Mexican users will continue to see the original Gulf of Mexico label, preserving the country’s historical and cultural ties to the region.
