Google Maps now shows the ‘Gulf of America’

Google has updated its digital mapping service for United States residents to display the label "Gulf of America" instead of the traditional "Gulf of Mexico." This modification affects both the web interface and mobile applications within the country.

The adjustment by the technology giant was prompted by a formal decision from the Trump administration to rename the large body of water situated between Florida and the eastern coast of Mexico. To maintain geographic accuracy according to domestic standards, Google aligns its mapping data with the Geographic Names Information System, a database maintained by the United States government.

The name change is localized, meaning that individuals accessing the service from within Mexico will still observe the original name, whereas international users outside these two nations will see the historical name accompanied by the new American designation in brackets. Google utilizes various signals, such as mobile operating system configurations, SIM card details, and network connections, to identify a user's location and deliver the corresponding map labels. While Google has quickly implemented these adjustments, competitor platforms like Apple Maps have not yet updated their primary labels, though they redirect searches for the new name. Other services, including the Google-subsidiary Waze, present mixed results or have not fully integrated the new terminology.