Is Google Maps changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America?
Is Google Maps changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America?
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The name of the Gulf of Mexico is officially being changed on Google Maps to the Gulf of America, Google has announced. The US and Mexico share the Gulf of Mexico, and have long used its waters. The “Mexico” in the name comes from an indigenous city that shared the same name as the modern state of Mexico. The name Gulf of Mexico has been used for around 400 years.
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However, because its coastline stretches across five south-eastern states, it is frequently referred to as the “Third Coast” in vernacular terms in the US. Using the Spanish form of the name, Mexicans call the gulf El Golfo de México. Google has revealed it will change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America in its Google Maps app.
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Only Google Maps users in the US will see the name change. It will still remain the Gulf of Mexico to the rest of the world. Google also stated its US app users would see North America's highest mountain, Mount Denali, revert to its old name of Mount McKinley.
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The company said in a social media post on Monday: “We've received a few questions about naming within Google Maps. We have a longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources.”. “When official names vary between countries, Maps users see their official local name,” the company added. “Everyone in the rest of the world sees both names. That applies here too.”.
