Google Maps to Alter Names of Denali and Gulf of Mexico After Trump Executive Order

Google plans to revise its US version of Google Maps to align with President Donald Trump’s executive order. This includes renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, and referring to Denali by its officially recognized name, Mount McKinley.

On forum X, Google detailed the planned updates to Google Maps, which stem from modifications made to the U.S. government’s Geographic Names Information System (a system containing geographical name and location details).

On Monday, Google posted a tweet addressing some queries regarding naming within Google Maps. They explained that they usually adopt name changes once these updates are made in official government records. For instance, in the U.S., they rely on the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) for such updates. As soon as GNIS is updated, Google Maps in the U.S. will be promptly adjusted to reflect Mount McKinley and Gulf of America as their names.

The company stated, “Moreover, following a standard procedure: For places where official names differ among countries, Maps displays the local, officially recognized name to users. Everybody elsewhere will view both names. This rule applies here as well.

On January 20th, President Trump issued an executive order directing the Department of the Interior to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. Additionally, he mandated that the name change implemented during the Obama era, renaming Mount McKinley to Denali, be reversed in all official maps and communications from the U.S. federal government.

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2025-01-28 14:24