Washington DC: Google has officially renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” for users in the United States, following an executive order signed by US President Donald Trump.
The tech giant announced that Google Maps and other services would display the name based on user location—showing “Gulf of America” in the US, “Gulf of Mexico” in Mexico, and both names for users elsewhere.
The change aligns with the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) run by the US Geological Survey. Google had previously signalled the update in a post on X, where it also mentioned plans to rename Alaska’s Mount Denali back to Mount McKinley—its former name before being changed by President Barack Obama in 2015—once the official database is updated.
G̶u̶l̶f̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶M̶e̶x̶i̶c̶o̶ ❌
GULF OF AMERICA ✅ pic.twitter.com/WyyEEqFGN2— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 10, 2025
Trump, who signed the executive order immediately after taking office on January 20, justified the renaming as a move to “honour American greatness.” However, the decision has sparked backlash from Indigenous groups in Alaska, who continue to advocate for the mountain’s original Koyukon Athabascan name, Denali.
The US government had originally changed it to Mount McKinley in 1917 in honour of the late Republican president, who was assassinated in 1901.
The move also drew criticism from Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who sarcastically suggested renaming North America as “Mexican America,” referencing one of Mexico’s founding documents.
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