Today, a vast number of Google Maps users worldwide will spot a notable update when zooming into the waters south of the U.S. and east of Mexico. Google has changed the name of this body of water from “Gulf of Mexico” to “Gulf of America.” There has been no announcement regarding whether Apple, another key player in digital mapping, will make the change within Apple Maps.
Michael Grothaus for Fast Company:
Why is Google making the change? Officially, it’s because the Gulf of Mexico has been renamed the Gulf of America in the United States’ Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) register. In a blog post announcing the name change, Google said the name change is “consistent with our longstanding practices” of adopting the names used in the GNIS
In January, President Trump issued an executive order that mandated the oceanic basin’s name be officially changed.
As of the time of this writing, the gulf basin is still labeled as the “Gulf of Mexico” in the Apple Maps app.
Will that change? That’s yet to be seen, but if Apple designates geographic landmarks based on their names in the GNIS register, as Google does, then it is likely we can expect to see the “Gulf of America” name change show up in the iPhone maker’s maps, too.
MacDailyNews Note: In Google’s official blog, the company outlines which users will see the name change:
• In the U.S. – “Gulf of America”
• In Mexico – “Gulf of Mexico”
• Rest of the world – “Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America)”
Google blogs, “The names you see in the Maps app are based on your country location, which is determined by information from your phone’s operating system (e.g., iOS and Android), including your SIM, network, and locale. If you’re using Google Maps on the web, the names are based on the region you select in your Search settings or your device’s location, if you haven’t selected one.”
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Such a dummy idea!
Agree. I say shorten it up … call it ‘The Gulf of Maga’.
Regional differences in how names appear on Google Maps also add another layer of discussion. What do you think—is “Gulf of America” here to stay, or is this just a temporary change?
Yes, I’ve heard about that! Google Maps has indeed updated the name from “Gulf of Mexico” to “Gulf of America” for users in the U.S., following an executive order by former President Donald Trump. Interestingly, Apple Maps has also made the same change recently.