Google will be updating its maps to reflect the name changes for the Gulf of America and Mount McKinley.
“We’ve received a few questions about naming within Google Maps. We have a longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources,” Google said in a statement. “For geographic features in the U.S., this is when Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is updated.”
“When that happens, we will update Google Maps in the U.S. quickly to show Mount McKinley and Gulf of America.”
The company noted that Google Maps users will see locations’ names based on the country they are in.
“Also longstanding practice: When official names vary between countries, Maps users see their official local name. Everyone in the rest of the world sees both names. That applies here too,” Google explained.
The Department of the Interior announced last week that it implemented the name changes under the direction of President Donald Trump.
“As directed by the President, the Gulf of Mexico will now officially be known as the Gulf of America and North America’s highest peak will once again bear the name Mount McKinley,” the Department of the Interior said. “These changes reaffirm the Nation’s commitment to preserving the extraordinary heritage of the United States and ensuring that future generations of Americans celebrate the legacy of its heroes and historic assets.”
“The U.S. Board on Geographic Names, under the purview of the Department of the Interior, is working expeditiously to update the official federal nomenclature in the Geographic Names Information System to reflect these changes, effective immediately for federal use.”
