Google Maps to Update Geographical Names According to Official Government Sources
Google Maps will be changing the names of geographical objects based on updates from official government sources. Users will not see these changes reflected in the application immediately, as reported by News from Google on Twitter. The updates will be made in accordance with the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), which is used by the US government as a federal standard for geographical nomenclature.
One of the upcoming changes includes renaming the “Mexican Gulf” to the “American Bay” on Google Maps. Additionally, the highest mountain peak of North America will no longer be referred to as “denali” but will be listed as Mount McCinley, its traditional indigenous name. These modifications will be implemented once the information is updated in the GNIS system.
Google clarified that changes to names on the maps are only made following official updates from government sources. Recently, President Donald Trump signed a decree to rename the body of water, leading to the official announcement by the Department of the Interior, as reported by The New York Times, introducing the new name “American Bay”.
However, these changes will only be visible to users located in the USA. Users in Mexico will still see the name as “Mexican Bay”, while users from other countries will be shown both names in the application. Google mentioned that a similar approach has been taken in areas with naming disputes, such as the sea of Japan naming dispute, as highlighted by Reuters.