Summary
Google Maps will rename the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America” for U.S. users following a U.S. government decision.
The U.S. Department of Interior recently announced the official name change, implemented by the Board on Geographic Names.
Google stated it updates names based on official government sources.
The name will remain “Gulf of Mexico” in Mexico and display both names elsewhere globally.
This change stems from an executive order by Trump, who also reversed the 2015 renaming of Alaska’s Denali to Mount McKinley.
Google has no spine. When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, they reclassified Crimea as Russian territory on the localized Russian version, and in a lot of locales they either flag it as disputed territory, or territory belonging to no nation.
you bet your ass they’re going to do whatever Daddy tells them when it comes to the US. Lmao.
America isn’t a sovereign nation anymore, its a slave state beholden to Corpo Syndicates, The Russian Mafia, and Israel. Trump is just a dumbass they put in front of the camera to serve as a public face to the shadow mafia.
Open Street Maps is a thing. Use it.
It’s also publicly editable and used to generate a bunch of other maps - even for government use. It would be a damned shame if people created burner accounts and started renaming things owned by Trump and Musk…
Organic maps is the one I use
OSM will also eventually change it. It’s the official name of the gulf in the US. Like it or not, that’s the reality. Just like how English maps show “Japan” written over the country called Nihon.
No, they won’t. They’ll introduce additional names, but the gulf itself will not be renamed.
https://community.openstreetmap.org/t/gulf-of-america-gulf-of-mexico/124571/102
I guess there’s multiple ways to address this. Google has the resources to easily serve different maps to each country, while showing multiple names is an easier strategy.
Any client could choose to prefer region-specific names, but it’s important to note that this is not the same as renaming the thing itself.
OSM also uses localized names for places. So there might be name changes happening there as well.
Not sure exactly how they do it for international names, they probably have a system, but if Trump starts renaming towns and states in the US like “State of Pu**ygrab”, “State of Hillaries-emails” or whatever, everyone has to adapt, in order to not be disrespectful of the people and culture of the united states as is making any kind of fun about these cultural and historic differences. People from outside just do not understand them and their need to validate their place in the world as deeply as the people living there.
Well google maps can fuck right off, the cowards. What are everyone’s recommendations for alternatives?
Depends.
If you just want a map to find things, OsmAnd is good.
If you want to prepare hiking/biking trail maps and then download them for offline use, Alpi Maps is really nice.
If you want useful navigation that includes traffic data and gets the realistic arrival time close to correct, Magic Earth is really the only option (traffic time estimates depend on users agreeing to share their location data while using ME for navigation so that it can make traffic speed assessments - quality will depend on how many other ME users in your area have agreed to share their data).
All 3 ultimately depend on OpenStreetMap for their map data. If you use them, consider creating an account and contributing with a tool like StreetComplete.
If you want something that has locations of businesses &etc with accurate names, operating hours, contact information, pictures of the location, street view, user reviews… there are no alternatives.
OSM will rename the Gulf Of Mexico eventually as well, by policy. See towards the end of this long discussion thread: https://community.openstreetmap.org/t/gulf-of-america-gulf-of-mexico/124571/73
Organic maps on fdroid. Using open street maps and have a pretty good UI, and offline maps.
It’s just… No. I’ve used osmand for years and it’s the absolute worst. The interface is way too complicated to use and the search is absolutely useless. I can only use it for offline maps while hiking to see where I am.
That’s fair. For me none of the alternatives offer enough features to replace it. I often use it to highlight POIs of a type and all the different map views are great.
Alternatives
Referring to it’s proper name, the Gulf of Mexico
Sundar really likes kissing the ring
It’s pretty difficult to kiss the ring when it’s all the way down on the base of the penis. It must be tough on him.
Did you not hear stormy Daniels account? It really wouldn’t be that tough.
One of the defining characteristics of a fascist state is requiring economic entities to align with state interests.
Google is just asking people to switch to Organic maps with this one.
Apple maps for those wondering:
So if it’s updated in an official source (not just because Trump wants it) but updated In the US geographic names system. Why would it not be updated at that point?
Because it’s fucking stupid.
This is some next level dumb shit.
👅🥾
Bend over harder Google
Whilst I see where you’re coming from, is there literally anything for Google to gain by being a stick in the mud over the issue? It’ll probably get changed back in a few years time.
Well, if that’s how it works, every country now needs to renames the US to something else on their maps. Whoever has the best name wins something - like, the Olympics or free membership to the UN.
Suggestions now open, I’ll start: “Little Girls Blouse”
United States of Oligarchs
That’s a bit boring though. Maybe they could put out a call for sponsors every week, the winner gets to name it. We’d get names like:
- United States of Amazon
- X
- Murica
- iMerica (designed by Apple in California, assembled in China)
Which should drive home the point.
Would also help government funding.The United Oligarchs of America
I already refer to the states as “dumbfuckistan” or “burgerland” to people I talk to IRL when I refer to the states and most people know where I’m talking about with little context. So that’s my suggestion.
United Safe Spaces of Trumpistan
North Mexico Or the United Stains
United Bullies of America.
Freedonia
Kind of expected, Google maps show you a different version depending of where you are, aligning with your government position.
Did anyone read the tweet? They are defending their decision not to change the name, because the change isn’t official. No, they haven’t “announced they will change the name”.
Yeah, you can logically conclude based on that that they will update it once it’s official, but the reporting is the opposite of what they said.
No they didn’t. More fun to just be mad.
The important part is “for US users”. The rest of the world does not care about Trumps childish tantrums.
Honestly, we don’t either.
Good to know that the US needs it’s own safe space haha
IMO it should be called the Chicxulub Gulf, since the most significant thing to happen there, objectively speaking, was the end of the Cretaceous.
Deepwater Horizon Gulf
You can really tell how sheltered yanks are with this news.
This is pretty standard for Google maps. Names of locations change depending on what version of maps you use.
Google will use the official data from the government of whatever region it is, and the government Americans voted for changed the name.
But I want Google to stick it to bad orange man, Google should represent me not official data, Google is a Nazi company!!! 😭😭😭
No, we yanks are familiar with this policy. We just think capitulating to this performative nonsense is ridiculous.
