Google Maps Renames Gulf Of Mexico

Google Maps has made a controversial update, renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America—at least for users in the US. This change comes after Donald Trump signed an executive order altering the name of the vast oceanic basin in the eyes of the US government. But while Trump supporters celebrated the move, Mexico’s president has fiercely contested its legality, calling it unenforceable under international law.

The tech giant previously stated that it would only implement the name change once it had been formally updated in the US Geographic Names Information System (USGS). Now that this has happened, Google has rolled out the update—but not uniformly. Depending on where you are in the world, the Gulf might have a different name on your screen.

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For US-based users, scrolling over the water now shows Gulf of America. Meanwhile, users in Mexico continue to see Gulf of Mexico, while those in the UK get a hybrid label: Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America)—a compromise that does little to quell the brewing diplomatic tension.

Mexico Calls Foul

Mexico’s government wasted no time in pushing back against the rebrand, arguing that the US has no legal standing to rename a body of water that extends far beyond its territorial boundaries. Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, a country’s jurisdiction over territorial waters extends only 12 nautical miles (22km) from its coastline. The rest of the Gulf is internationally shared by Mexico, the US, and Cuba.

“It cannot apply to the rest, in this case, the Gulf of Mexico,” said Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, dismissing the move. She even joked that, in response, Mexico might rename the entire North American continent Mexican America on its own maps. “We ask that when you put Mexican America in the search engine, the map appears that we presented,” she quipped.

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Trump’s Gulf of America Day

Despite the international pushback, Trump doubled down on his decision. On 9 February, while flying over the newly rebranded Gulf, he signed a second executive order declaring the first-ever Gulf of America Day.

“GULF OF AMERICA!” he posted on Truth Social, alongside an image of the updated Google Maps label.

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In a statement, Google confirmed that the change was now official within the US Geographic Names System. “As we announced two weeks ago and consistent with our longstanding practices, we’ve begun rolling out changes to reflect this update,” a spokesperson said.

But whether the name will stick—or whether international pressure will force Google to walk it back—remains to be seen. For now, geography is apparently up for debate, at least depending on where you’re Googling from.