Google announced on Monday that the company will update Google Maps to feature “Gulf of America” and “Mount McKinley” instead of Gulf of Mexico and Mount Denali following President Donald Trump’s executive order last Monday.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Google wrote, “We’ve received a few questions about naming within Google Maps. We have a longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources.”
The tech giant shared an article explaining how geological features in the United States are updated by the Department of the Interior’s Geographic Names Information System.
Google noted, “When that happens, we will update Google Maps in the U.S. quickly to show Mount McKinley and Gulf of America.”
On Friday, the Department of the Interior confirmed that the agency would be changing the names of the Gulf of Mexico and Mount Denali to reflect Trump’s executive order changing the name of Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America and restoring the name of Mount McKinley, which was changed to Mount Denali by former President Barack Obama in 2015, according to Fox Business.
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“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 Department of the Interior stated. “These changes reaffirm the Nation’s commitment to preserving the extraordinary heritage of the United States and ensuring that future generations of Americans celebrate the legacy of its heroes and historic assets.”
The Department of the Interior explained that the U.S. Board on Geographic Names was “working expeditiously” to update the Geographic Names Information System to reflect the geographic changes ordered by the president “effective immediately for federal use.”
In another post on X, Google indicated that people from other countries could still see both the Gulf of America and the Gulf of Mexico listed on Google Maps. “Also longstanding practice: When official names vary between countries, Maps users see their official local name,” Google tweeted. “Everyone in the rest of the world sees both names. That applies here too.”
Google’s announcement on Monday comes after Trump issued the “Restoring the Names that Honor American Greatness” executive order last week.
“It is in the national interest to promote the extraordinary heritage of our Nation and ensure future generations of American citizens celebrate the legacy of our American heroes,” the executive order stated. “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.”
