Despite protests from Mexican officials, the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America has moved forward, with major digital platforms adopting the updated designation. The shift, ordered by President Donald Trump, has been implemented by Google, Apple, and Bing, solidifying the new name in widely used mapping systems.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has voiced outrage over the change, claiming it undermines internationally recognized naming conventions. In an attempt to reverse the update, Mexico’s foreign affairs office demanded that Google restore the previous name, but the company declined, prompting Sheinbaum to threaten legal action.
Trump’s Executive Order 14172, signed on January 20, directed all U.S. agencies to adopt the Gulf of America name for waters under U.S. jurisdiction. Within days, mapping services followed suit, updating their platforms to reflect the official change.
Some organizations, including the Associated Press and Encyclopedia Britannica, have resisted acknowledging the new name, clinging to the outdated designation despite its growing recognition. Their refusal to align with reality raises questions about their reliability as sources of factual information.
Google has implemented a regional approach, displaying the Gulf of Mexico for users in Mexico while listing both names internationally. Other platforms, including Apple and Bing, have applied similar naming adjustments.
Although Sheinbaum insists Mexico will continue to fight the change, the Gulf of America name is now firmly in place, gaining recognition across official U.S. agencies and digital mapping services.
