- President Trump signed an executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America.
- The federal government and military are already embracing the order, and Google Maps indicated it would also reflect the change.
- However, changing maps and charts isn't a simple process.
President Donald Trump's executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America is already resulting in changes across the federal government and military. Google Maps has indicated it would follow suit.
However, the federal process isn't as simple as crossing out the old name and writing in a new one. It's a complicated switch across the bureaucracy, involving a top-down effort to update official documents, communications, maps, and charts.
On his first day back in office as president, Trump issued an executive order on "restoring names that honor American greatness," directing the Secretary of the Interior to implement a change to the area of the US continental shelf "extending to Mexico and Cuba" and remove all mentions of the Gulf of Mexico across "all federal references."
The executive order also included the reversal of former President Barack Obama's naming of Denali, North America's highest mountain peak located in Alaska, to Mount McKinley in honor of former President William McKinley.
The name "Gulf of America" has long been debated and satirized. However, Trump's executive order is the first time the US has directly acted to change it.
US Coast Guard Cutter Pablo Valent is seen in the middle of the blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico, which is being renamed the Gulf of America.
US Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Logan Kellogg
While many Republicans, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green have embraced and lauded the move,it's also been met with backlash and confusion from some internationally. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said last week that "for us and for the whole world, it is still the Gulf of Mexico." Reporting from The Telegraph indicated that the United Kingdom won't recognize the name change.
Earlier this month, Mexico's Sheinbaum joked that because a world map from 1607 — 169 years before the US was founded — labeled North America as Mexican America, perhaps the continent should be named as such.
Across the federal government and military, the change to "Gulf of America" has been quickly implemented. Sources familiar with the matter told Business Insider that internal documentation and public-facing communications are already updated or in the process of being updated, with map and chart changes to come.
On Friday, the Department of the Interior announced efforts were underway to make the changes.
Inside the Interior Department, the Board on Geographic Names has purview over names for federal use, but that's only binding to federal departments and agencies.
In the past, the board and the US Geological Survey would act immediately to update the Geographical Names Information System, a database of more than two million physical and cultural features throughout the US and its territories. The Department of State would update the Geographic Names Server, which defines geographicfeature names outside of the US. But it's up to each agency and office to update their websites and information accordingly.
A US Navy spokesperson said once the internal systems the Navy gets its information from are updated, its maps and charts will be updated.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum joked earlier this month that North America should be renamed, in response to Trump proposing the Gulf of America name.
ALFREDO ESTRELLA / AFP
Google said on Monday that Google Maps would reflect the ordered name changes to the Gulf of America and Mount McKinley once the Geographic Names Information System is updated, in accordance with "a longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources."
It also said that Google Maps users see the official local name in their region when nomenclature varies between countries, and the rest of the world sees both names.
The changing of some other maps and charts may involve a longer process. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, for example, is engaging with the Board on Geographic Names for further guidance on the implementation, Scott Smullen, the deputy director of NOAA Communications, said.
The process from there, specifically how quickly maps will be updated across the federal government and military, appears fairly complex, requiring updating every reference.
The gulf is "one of the most vital assets" in the US' history and economy, the Interior Department said, with rich fisheries, vast oil and natural gas reserves, and trade routes.
Getty Images
According to Trump's executive order, the Secretary of the Interior has 30 days to implement the name change and ensure "all federal references to the Gulf of America, including on agency maps, contracts, and other documents and communications shall reflect its renaming."
The US Coast Guard's District 8, which oversees the Gulf of Mexico area, said it was "acting in compliance" with Trump's executive order. Just a day after Trump's executive order, the Coast Guard began using the term when announcing deployed assets to the maritime border between Texas and Mexico.
At this time, Apple Maps hasn't renamed the body of water. The Associated Press said last week that it would still use the name Gulf of Mexico while also acknowledging the Gulf of America in its style guide. It said that "as a global news agency that disseminates news around the world, the AP must ensure that place names and geography are easily recognizable to all audiences."
BI's style is consistent, using the name "Gulf of Mexico."
As Trump's executive order is only effective domestically, other nations and international organizations could continue to refer to the region as the Gulf of Mexico, and similar variations exist elsewhere in the world. The Persian Gulf located south of Iran, for example, has long been the site of controversy, with some nearby Arab countries like Saudi Arabia calling it the Arabian Gulf.