Why it matters:
After taking office, U.S. President Donald Trump has called for a review of some of his country's policies. These policies include changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico, calling on Canada to be the U.S.'s 51st state, and announcing tariffs on imports from other countries.
The big picture:
Renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, even if only for American users, could have dire consequences for the global order, even though Trump is also seeking to take control of the Panama Canal.
What they're saying:
Google said that within the U.S., it follows the U.S. Geological Survey’s Geographic Names Information System, which has formally adopted Trump’s name change for the body of water spanning much of Mexico’s east coast and the US South.
Key points:
- Users in the US now see “Gulf of America,” while those in Mexico continue to see the original name.
- Users outside the two nations will see the original name with Trump’s preferred name in parentheses.
- The order also changed the name of Alaska’s Mount Denali to Mount McKinley.
- Apple Maps continues to maintain the original name.
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