He had promised it, he did it. Google Maps now displays “Gulf of America”, in place of “Gulf of Mexico”, for users located in the United States. Mexico -based users have kept the “Golfo de México”, in accordance with the will of their government. In other countries, as in France or Colombia, the name “Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America)” appears, as is usually the case for the disputed places.
Since Monday, February 10, Google Maps users located in France can read “Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America)”.
© / Google Maps screenshot
“Gulf of America!” Exclaimed Donald Trump on his social social network, with a photo of the modified card of Google Maps and a link to his Sunday proclamation, making February 9 the “Gulf Day ‘America”. The official account of the White House on X has published the following message: “Gulf of America on @googlemaps”.
Google had explained in late January that name changes were applied according to official government sources, in this case the Geographic Names Information System (GNS) in the United States. On the competing application of Apple, “Maps”, the name remained “Gulf of Mexico”.
A few hours after his return to the White House on January 20, the American president called the Gulf of “indelible part of America”. He deems it essential for oil production and fishing in the United States and considers it “the favorite destination of Americans for tourism and leisure activities”.
After the Gulf of America, Mont McKinley?
The new name has aroused diplomatic concerns on the part of Mexico and other countries. Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum had even proposed to baptize the United States “Mexican America”, in reference to a 17th century map on which a good part of the North American region appears under this name.
Donald Trump also said he wanted to give back to Denali, the highest peak in North America located in Alaska (6,190 m), his old name of Mont McKinley, modified in 2015 by President Barack Obama according to the wish of the Aboriginal populations. This name has not yet changed. And for good reason, Friday, February 7, the Alaska Senate voted against this Donald Trump project. Dominated by the Republicans, he unanimously asked the president to give up this change. “The name Denali is deeply anchored in the culture and identity of the State,” advanced the elected officials of Alaska in a resolution. “The names of the geographic places of the State should be determined by the inhabitants and the representatives of the State,” they added. The height: William McKinley, 25th American president, never went to Denali and has no connection, neither with Alaska, nor with this mountain, although she was appointed in her honor in 1917.