In a global controversy, Google Maps has added a new flavour to its software renaming the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America” in the United States. The amendment follows an executive order signed into law by Donald Trump, ex-president of the United States to enhance “American Greatness.”
The renaming stems from a directive issued on Trump’s first day in office, emphasizing the water body’s significance to the United States. Alongside this order, Trump also mandated restoring Denali’s name to Mount McKinley, honouring the 25th U.S. President, William McKinley.
Google, however, defended the move by citing its long-standing policy of updating geographic names based on official government sources. The U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) officially recognized the new designation, and Google Maps followed suit.
Regional and Global Impact
It reflects the Gulf of America designation for users within the United States. However, it will be labelled as the Gulf of Mexico in Mexico. International users would see both, so there is the possibility of differences between regions referring to the Gulf.
This is not the first time Google has dealt with disputes over the names of geographic features. For instance, the Sea of Japan (East Sea) has dual labels in some regions as a result of the territorial dispute between Japan and Korea.
Reaction from Mexico and Other Countries
The name change was hit by a wave of sharp criticism led by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who explained that the U.S. “cannot unilaterally rename an internationally recognized body of water.” Mexico and others, like Canada and the United Kingdom, vowed to carry on using the old name.
The controversy underlines the complexities of geopolitical influence on cartographic representation, which challenges how tech companies like Google treat politically sensitive naming conventions.
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