The body of water formerly known as the Gulf of Mexico is now listed as the Gulf of America for users accessing a major online mapping service from within the United States.
The change follows an executive order by the U.S. president renaming the area. The mapping service provider has previously stated that it has a longstanding practice of updating place names when they are officially changed by government sources.
“People using the service in the U.S. will see ‘Gulf of America,’ and people in Mexico will see ‘Gulf of Mexico.’ Everyone else will see both names,” the company said in a statement.
The company also announced last month that it would rename the nation’s highest peak back to its previous designation, following the president’s directive. The peak had been renamed in 2015 as a nod to the region’s indigenous population. However, as of Tuesday, this change had not yet been reflected on the mapping service.
Both renaming decisions stem from an executive action that was signed shortly after the president took office, stating that these changes “honor national greatness.” The order criticized the previous renaming of the peak as “an affront to history and achievement.” It also drew comparisons between the historical figure for whom the peak was originally named and the current administration’s policies.
Government agencies have already begun the transition to these new designations. A federal aviation body issued a notice advising that updates to charts and data reflecting the new names were underway. Similarly, a maritime authority responsible for overseeing the nation’s coastal waters has incorporated the updated name into public notices.
Calendar Changes
Some users have also observed adjustments in an online calendar service, with certain holidays and events appearing to be deemphasized. For example, specific cultural and historical observances are no longer displayed by default on the first day of their respective months. This has sparked criticism on community forums.
A spokesperson for the service provider explained that these changes were part of a broader overhaul of the calendar tool based on user feedback.
“Some years ago, the team started manually adding a wider range of cultural moments across various countries. We received feedback that some regions and events were missing, and maintaining a vast number of entries manually was not scalable. So in mid-2024, we reverted to displaying only public holidays and national observances sourced from a global timekeeping database while allowing users to add other significant moments themselves,” the spokesperson stated.
As these updates continue to roll out, users will need to adjust to the new naming conventions and customization options available for personalizing their digital experiences.
