Google will rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and Mount Denali to Mount McKinley on its Google Maps service as soon as the corresponding changes appear in the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
The corporation said on X, responding to users’ questions whether the tech giant will change the geographical names of the mentioned objects after the relevant decree of US President Donald Trump:
“We have a longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources.”
It said that when GNIS makes the changes, “we will update Google Maps in the US quickly to show Mount McKinley and Gulf of America.”
At the same time, Google pointed out, in the case when the names of geographical objects are different for different countries, then residents of these countries see only the official name in the host country, while for residents of other regions both variants of the name are displayed.
Earlier, the Associated Press agency said it would continue to use the name Gulf of Mexico in its publications despite the decree. At the same time, the agency will change the name of Mount Denali to Mount McKinley.
Trump’s executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America was published on the White House website last week. The document cites the fact that the Gulf of Mexico is “the largest gulf in the world” and “maintains its key importance to America’s economy” as the reasoning behind renaming it.
In his executive order, Trump noted that the new name is being given “in recognition of this thriving economic source and its critical importance to the economy” of the United States. The UN said that renaming geographical features is not the prerogative of any individual state.
