Apple Maps still calls it the Gulf of Mexico, and politicians are upset
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The Gulf of Mexico remains in Apple Maps. President Trump signed an executive order demanding that many landmarks change their names, including the Gulf of Mexico, but Apple Maps hasn't changed. Here's why it isn't quite that simple. Maps are a funny thing. For a long time, we studied global geography using a map designed in 1569, but it inaccurately shows North America and Europe as much larger than they should be.
Nearly five hundred years later, we've started adapting more recent models that accurately show continent size. I bring this up simply because maps are complicated and changing the ones we rely on can take a lot of time and effort. So, when the returning President Trump signed an executive order to change the names of landmarks, it should be easy to understand that it isn't quite so simple. Even if the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) standardizes the "Gulf of America," it only has authority over US federal uses.
Executive orders can only be given to federal or state agencies, not to the general public or private corporations. So, there is no direct ability for any entity to demand that Apple or Google change their mapping systems. You would think that Representative Dan Crenshaw of Texas would know these things, but he posted on X anyway.
Hey @tim_cook, just noticed Apple Maps still calls it the Gulf of Mexico. Sent a report through the app, but thought you'd want to know! pic.twitter.com/fA7cWtOGY1. The BGN in the US can direct federal agencies to adopt the name, but the rest of the world likely will still refer to that body of water as the Gulf of Mexico. The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names (UNGEN) is a group that works with all of the member countries to create a standard, and it seems unlikely that anyone else would be willing to adopt such a superfluous name change.
