Apple Maps Still Uses Mexico Bay Name, Disappointed US Politician

JAKARTA - Apple Maps remains using the Gulf of Mexico name for the Gulf of Mexico, even though President Donald Trump has signed an executive order instructing a change of name to Gulf of America. This decision sparked the disappointment of a number of politicians, including Texas representatives, Dan totaling, who voiced their complaints on social media.

Changing names on maps is not simple. Even after the United States Geographical Name Council (BGN) approved the name change, their authority was limited to federal agencies. The President's executive order only applies to state or federal institutions, not private companies such as Apple or Google.

As a global company, Apple and Google are not required to follow US local naming standards. Both companies use a combination of internal data and public sources to map locations globally, thus maintaining the name that has been in use for more than 400 years.

Hey @tim_cook, just noticed Apple Maps still calls it the Gulf of Mexico. Sent a report through the app, but thought you’d want to know! pic.twitter.com/fA7cWtOGY1

— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) January 21, 2025

Hey @tim_cook, just noticed Apple Maps still calls it the Gulf of Mexico. Sent a report through the app, but thought you'd want to know! pic.twitter.com/fA7cWtOGY1

The Gulf of Mexico name has a long historical root, derived from the term Aztek used by natives of the region during the American colonial period. This name is recognized internationally and has become the standard in the global map.

The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names (UNGEN), an institution that works to create geographical naming standards around the world, is unlikely to accept a name change that is considered superfluous or unnecessary.

Apple and Google are responsible for providing maps that users around the world can understand. Changing the geographic name based on one country's request can create confusion and potentially disrupt international standards.

Similar cases have occurred in countries with authoritarian rule, such as Russia, which does not recognize Ukrainian territory boundaries, or China, which does not consider Taiwan a separate entity. Apple and Google have so far adhered to international standards to ensure consistency.

Most likely, changing the name to Gulf of America will only be applied to print maps and guidebooks in the US. However, the US military following the international naming convention will still use the Gulf of Mexico name.

If politicians like Dan Total want this change to be implemented more widely, the first step that must be taken is to press BGN to update their database. However, it is unlikely that Apple or Google will change the location name on their map based solely on one country's request.

For most of the world, including iPhone users in the US, the name Gulf of Mexico looks set to last.