Google said Monday its maps will use names for Denali and the Gulf of Mexico favored by President Donald Trump — Mount McKinley and Gulf of America — when federal maps make the switch.
In an executive order he signed on his first day back in office on Jan. 20, Trump ordered the interior secretary to make the changes within 30 days.
Trump’s order said the new names would need to be reflected in the federal Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) run by the U.S. Geological Survey, part of the Interior Department. Spokespeople for the survey did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday.
The Senate is considering Trump’s nominee for interior secretary, former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who answered questions at a confirmation hearing Jan. 16.
In a statement on X, Google suggested any GNIS-driven name changes for Google Maps would take place as a matter of long-standing policy.
“We have a longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources,” it said.
It said that when GNIS makes the changes, “we will update Google Maps in the U.S. quickly to show Mount McKinley and Gulf of America.”
However, it noted that Trump and the United States aren’t always global arbiters of place names.
If the new names aren’t recognized outside the United States, the accepted names in each country will be reflected on Google Maps, the company said, meaning Denali and the Gulf of Mexico may remain their names outside the United States.
Alaska’s two senators oppose the change, saying “Denali” serves as a needed reminder of the state’s deep indigenous history.
Spokespeople for Apple’s own maps, native to the iPhone, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
In his order, Trump said William McKinley, the 25th president, was committed to “American greatness.”
“Under his leadership, the United States enjoyed rapid economic growth and prosperity, including an expansion of territorial gains,” the order says.
Trump tied his desire to rename the Gulf of Mexico to his contention that Mexico has allowed undocumented migrants to flow into the United States unfettered.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum responded on Jan. 8 by suggesting Mexico call its northern neighbor “America Mexicana,” a term used to describe what is now the United States that harks back to 1607 and burgeoning defiance of Spain.
The Associated Press, a global nonprofit cooperative that reports and shares news for its member outlets, said last week it will honor the change to Mount McKinley, the first official name given to Denali by the U.S. government nearly a century before the Obama administration reprised its centuries-old Indigenous name.
“The Associated Press will use the official name change to Mount McKinley,” Amanda Barrett, the AP’s vice president of standards and inclusion, said in a statement. “The area lies solely in the United States and as president, Trump has the authority to change federal geographical names within the country.”
The AP publishes a guide of contemporary English language, the AP Stylebook, which includes guidance for journalists about place names, capitalization, officials’ titles and best practices. It is the basis for shared language in news stories distributed to its members. Barrett said the stylebook will be updated to replace Denali with Mount McKinley.
Regarding the “Gulf of America,” the AP has a different stance.
“The Gulf of Mexico has carried that name for more than 400 years,” Barrett said. “The Associated Press will refer to it by its original name while acknowledging the new name Trump has chosen. 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.”
The organization notes that the body of water bounded by Mexico’s Pacific coast and the Baja Peninsula has two names, often dependent on one’s country of origin. In the United States, it is predominantly called the Gulf of California. In Mexico, where its coastline exists exclusively, it is the Sea of Cortez.