Following President Donald Trump’s executive orders to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, as well as revert the name of North America’s highest mountain peak from Denali back to Mt. McKinley, Google confirms it will be updating Google Maps in the United States to reflect the changes, but it has to wait for something first.
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On the News from Google X account, the company responded to the order, saying they had received questions about how they would handle the changes.
We’ve received a few questions about naming within Google Maps. We have a longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources.
— News from Google (@NewsFromGoogle) January 27, 2025
Google explained the changes to Google Maps will take place once the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is updated.
According to the USGS, the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is the Federal and national standard for geographic nomenclature.
“The U.S. Geological Survey’s National Geospatial Program developed the GNIS in support of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names as the official repository of domestic geographic names data, the official vehicle for geographic names use by all departments of the Federal Government, and the source for applying geographic names to Federal electronic and printed products,” the USGS website says.
Google says once the GNIS is updated, it will quickly update Google Maps in the United States to show Mt. McKinley and Gulf of America.
Also longstanding practice: When official names vary between countries, Maps users see their official local name. Everyone in the rest of the world sees both names. That applies here too.
— News from Google (@NewsFromGoogle) January 27, 2025
“Also longstanding practice: When official names vary between countries, Maps users see their official local name. Everyone in the rest of the world sees both names. That applies here too,” the News from Google post stated.