‘Gulf of Mexico’ is now ‘Gulf of America’ for US Google Maps users
Google Maps changed the ‘Gulf of Mexico’ name once it was officially updated in the U.S. Geographic Names System.
Update, 3:05 p.m.: The Google listing for Voice of America Shopping Centre switched back to the correct name of the location later Monday afternoon.
Previous reporting: Voice of America Shopping Centre underwent a name change (on Google).
The West Chester plaza was listed as “Voice of Mexico Center” on Google, including Google Maps, as of Monday afternoon, a change likely in retaliation to President Donald Trump signing an executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
Kelly Skeens, director of marketing at Midland Atlantic Properties, which owns the property, said Voice of America Shopping Centre has not been renamed and that she submitted a request to Google to have the listing restored to the correct name.
According to Google, a listing can only be changed by the person who controls the business listing or if a large number of known Google accounts request the same edit.
Changing the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America was one of Trump’s first executive orders following his Jan. 20 inauguration. The change has faced opposition from Mexican officials, who argue that renaming the Gulf violates international agreements and historical naming conventions.
Google and Apple maps now refer to the Gulf of America rather than the Gulf of Mexico for U.S. users.
Trump also signed an executive order to change the name of Denali in Alaska, the highest peak in North America, back to its previous namesake of Mount McKinley. The name was adopted in 1917 to honor the country’s 25th president and Ohio native William McKinley.
Indigenous Alaskan Athapaskans had long referred to the mountain as Denali, meaning high or tall in their language. The name was adopted by the Alaska Board of Geographic Names in 1975 and federally in 2015 by the Obama administration.