Shortly after taking office, President Donald Trump enacted several executive orders, one of which aimed to rename a few significant landmarks.
Named “Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness,” this executive order proposed changing the designation of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. Google has announced it will adopt this change and will soon reflect the new name in Google Maps.
The tech giant has articulated its policy regarding the renaming of places, emphasizing that it aligns location names with their descriptions in official government databases, specifically citing the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) directory.
When that happens, we will update Google Maps in the U.S. quickly to show Mount McKinley and Gulf of America.
— News from Google (@NewsFromGoogle) January 27, 2025
According to an official post on X, “When that happens, we will update Google Maps in the U.S. quickly to show Mount McKinley and Gulf of America.” However, this name change has not yet been implemented for users in the U.S. as of this writing.
It’s worth noting that the updated name will only be visible to users within U.S. borders or areas under U.S. jurisdiction. Meanwhile, international users will continue to see the designation Gulf of Mexico on their maps.
In 2009, Google published an explanation regarding name discrepancies, particularly in situations involving territorial disputes and conflicting names. The company stated that it considers “guidance from authoritative references, local laws, and local market expectations.”

As part of his executive directive, Trump instructed the Secretary of the Interior to revise the GNIS, replacing Mount Denali with Mount McKinley to honor President McKinley’s heritage.
In the same vein, references to the Gulf of Mexico are to be eliminated and substituted with Gulf of America. The executive order states, “The naming of our national treasures, including breathtaking natural wonders and historic works of art, should honor the contributions of visionary and patriotic Americans in our Nation’s rich past.”
This type of name adjustment is not new. For example, Japanese users on Google Maps see “Sea of Japan,” while South Koreans view it as “East Sea.”
Efforts to standardize geographical names often ignite intense debates, including discussions at the United Nations level.
In 2015, Google removed the name “Zhongsha Islands” from a disputed marine area, opting for Scarborough Shoal instead, a location that has sparked tensions between China and the Philippines. Filipino citizens urged Google to replace the Chinese name, interpreting it as an illegal territorial claim.
A Google representative acknowledged, “We understand that geographic names can raise deep emotions, which is why we worked quickly once this was brought to our attention,” as reported by the BBC.