In a surprising move that has left many scratching their heads, President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January 2025, officially renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.”
This decree sparks discussions throughout US society along with worldwide opinion towers.
Credit: (Instagram/ @realdonaldtrump)
People have used the Gulf of Mexico’s name to describe this water body between the United States and its neighboring countries for a long time.
People began using this geographic feature on their maps in the year 1500 to connect markets and economic power between America and Europe.
As part of his worldwide strategy Trump chose to rename the Gulf because he wanted to advance American interests.
According to Trump the Gulf has been essential for American commercial expansion and world trade since its beginning which makes naming it the Gulf of America a necessity.
Soon after the executive order was signed, Google Maps began updating the name for U.S. users, replacing “Gulf of Mexico” with “Gulf of America.”
Users in Mexico still see “Gulf of Mexico,” while international users see both names, with “Gulf of America” appearing in parentheses.
Many users now struggle with the sudden name change and notice the difference depending on their physical location.
For example, a Reddit user in Georgia noted that Google Maps would show “Gulf of America” but revert to the old name when zooming out.
Different Mexican leaders express their opposition toward Google Maps giving the Gulf its new American label.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum strongly disagreed with the United States for changing international water names without global approval.
Under opposition from Mexico the US government started using the new name everywhere including all its online records.
The International Hydrographic Organization has not approved the new name for official records because international organizations have not yet adopted it.
Business organizations such as BP now use the updated name in their communication. The U.S. government’s rebranding push created this change in language but made things harder for everyone worldwide.
The development raises doubts about the participation of technology companies particularly Google in pushing such changes.
Downloading map data from official government sources concerns people because they see it as a sign of tech companies giving into political control.
The decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America raises questions about national identity and creates a major dialogue between nations on the significance of name choices.
Their decision to change the Gulf of Mexico name creates global implications for both American and international diplomacy.
