Microsoft Stands Firm on Gulf of Mexico Name Amid Mapping Controversy

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It seems there’s some debate over what to call the large body of water we know as the Gulf of Mexico. Different people have different opinions on this, and even map services such as Google Maps and Apple Maps have chosen to label it as “Gulf of America.

Discussion about a potential name change for the Gulf of Mexico ignited when President Donald Trump proposed renaming it to the Gulf of America. Simultaneously, he brought up the topics of renaming Mount Denali, annexing Canada, desiring Greenland as part of the U.S., and the U.S. reclaiming the Panama Canal. Here, I’ll concentrate on the gulf name change since map debates are always intriguing.

President Trump has renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America and designated February 9th as Gulf of America Day. It remains to be seen if this day will be added to Google Calendar. With events like Pride Month, Black History Month, and Women’s History Month no longer appearing on Google Calendar, it seems unlikely that they will make an exception for Gulf of America Day, given their recent statement about the difficulty in maintaining and updating hundreds of international events consistently.

Debates arose concerning whether or not the Gulf of America label should appear on maps following its official designation as the name for this body of water. Over time, both Apple Maps and Google Maps have subtly adapted their depictions, with the displayed name varying based on a user’s location.

Without any clarification from Microsoft, it’s unclear if Bing Maps only labeling “Gulf of Mexico” is a political statement or simply a result of the service’s regular updates. I have contacted Microsoft regarding the Gulf of Mexico naming controversy and how Bing Maps updates its information.

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2025-02-13 22:09