On Monday, Google announced that when federal maps change their names, they will adopt the names that President Donald Trump prefers for Denali, the Gulf of Mexico, Mount McKinley, and the Gulf of America.
The president instructed the Secretary of the Interior to implement the modifications within 30 days in an executive order signed on his first day back in office on January 20.
According to Trump’s order, the U.S. Geological Survey, which is part of the Department of the Interior, must update the federal Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) to reflect the new names. Requests for comment on Monday were not immediately answered by survey spokespeople.
Former North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, Trump’s nomination for interior secretary, was questioned during a confirmation hearing on January 16 and is currently being considered by the U.S. Senate.
According to Google’s comment on X, any GNIS-driven name changes for Google Maps would be implemented in accordance with established policy.
“We have a longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources,” it continued.
When GNIS makes modifications, Google Maps will soon follow, according to the tech company. “When that happens, we will update Google Maps in the U.S. quickly to show Mount McKinley and Gulf of America,” Google stated.
The business did point out that Trump and the US aren’t necessarily the world’s arbiters of place names, though.
According to the firm, Denali and the Gulf of Mexico may continue to be known by their original names outside of the US if the new names aren’t recognized abroad. The accepted names in each country will be displayed on Google Maps.
The two senators from Alaska are against the idea, arguing that Denali is an important symbol of the state’s rich indigenous past.
A request for comment on Monday was not immediately answered by representatives for Apple’s own maps, which are built into the iPhone.
Trump said in his order that the 25th president, William McKinley, was dedicated to “American greatness.”
“Under his leadership, the United States enjoyed rapid economic growth and prosperity, including an expansion of territorial gains,” according to the order.
The president linked his claim that the southern neighbor has permitted undocumented migrants to enter the United States unchecked to his wish to rename the Gulf of Mexico.
On January 8, Claudia Sheinbaum, the president of Mexico, responded by proposing that her country name its northern neighbor “America Mexicana,” a term that refers to what is now the United States and has roots in 1607 and the growing disobedience of Spain.
The first official name given to Denali by the U.S. government almost a century before the administration of then-President Barack Obama revived its centuries-old indigenous name was Mount McKinley. Last week, the Associated Press, a global nonprofit cooperative that reports and disseminates news for its member outlets, announced that it would commemorate the change.
“The Associated Press will use the official name change to Mount McKinley,” stated Amanda Barrett, vice president of standards and inclusion for the AP. “The area lies solely in the United States and as president, Trump has the authority to change federal geographical names within the country.”
The American Press publishes the AP Stylebook, a guide to modern English that gives journalists advice on proper capitalization, place names, official titles, and other best practices. It provides the foundation for the common language used in news reports that are sent to its members. According to Barrett, Denali will be swapped out for Mount McKinley in the stylebook.
The AP’s position on the “Gulf of America,” however, is different.
“The Gulf of Mexico has carried that name for more than 400 years,” Barrett stated. “While respecting the new name Trump has selected, the Associated Press will continue to refer to it by its old moniker. Geographical names and locations must be immediately recognized to all audiences because the Associated Press is a global news organization that distributes news worldwide.
The group points out that there are two names for the body of water that is surrounded by the Baja Peninsula and Mexico’s Pacific coast, frequently depending on the person’s country of birth. It is commonly referred to as the Gulf of California in the United States. The Sea of Cortez is located in Mexico, which is the only country with coastline.