Google announced today it will implement name changes for two major geographic features in its Maps service following a recent executive order by President Trump. The Gulf of Mexico will become the "Gulf of America" for U.S. users, while Denali mountain will revert to its former name, Mount McKinley.
The tech giant stated on X that these modifications will take effect once the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), the official federal database, is updated. The changes come after the U.S. Department of Interior confirmed it would implement the executive order issued on January 20th.
However, the naming updates will not be uniform for all Google Maps users worldwide. Mexican users will continue to see "Gulf of Mexico," while users in other countries will see both names displayed. This aligns with Google's policy of showing locally recognized names for disputed geographic features.
The mountain name change marks a reversal of the 2015 decision that officially recognized the peak as Denali, its traditional name. The reversion to Mount McKinley, honoring the 25th U.S. president, has sparked protests from some Alaskan senators.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has publicly criticized the decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico. As of Monday evening, the GNIS database still shows the original names, though the Department of Interior stated the changes are officially approved and will be implemented promptly.
While Google has confirmed its compliance with these federal naming changes, Apple has not yet announced its plans regarding updates to Apple Maps.