Mexico Asks Google Not To Rename Gulf Of Mexico Despite Trump’s Order

Following President Trump’s orders, the ‘Gulf of Mexico’ will soon be renamed the ‘Gulf of America’ on Google Maps, according to the BBC. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has written a letter to Google Maps asking it to reconsider its plan to rename the Gulf of Mexico.

This change was part of a series of over 100 directives and executive actions signed on Inauguration Day. One of these orders included renaming the Gulf of Mexico, which is made up of the US, Cuba, and Mexico,  the Gulf of America. 

Why is the Gulf of Mexico being renamed?

On January 24, 2025, The US Department of Interior said, “These changes reaffirm the Nation’s commitment to preserving the extraordinary heritage of the United States and ensuring that future generations of Americans celebrate the legacy of its heroes and historic assets.”

Google explained on X that the name would be updated once officially recognized in the US Geographic Names System, which could take several months or years. The name will only be changed on Google Maps for US citizens. Countries outside of the US will keep its current name. 

However, Mexico contends that the Gulf’s name cannot be legally renamed as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea states that an individual country’s sovereign territory only expands up to 12 nautical miles out from the coastline, as indicated by the BBC. Mount Denali’s name will also be changed to Mount McKinley in the US.

Can you change the ‘gulf of America’ name on your phone?

Essentially, no. It’s tricky to maneuver text through simple scripts as Google Maps uses many dynamically loaded content. 

However, you may be able to change the name on your desktop browser by using the right extension and custom JavaScript code. However, several sites, including Google Maps, use JavaScript to exchange text dynamically, which could still be difficult for browser extensions to take on. If you want to avoid all the hassle but still want to change the name, you could use an alternative mapping service like Bing or Apple Maps.

Image: REUTERS/Raquel Cunha