The name was changed for US users, as google’s policy is to use whatever a user’s country’s official name for something is (also true for where borders are drawn and so on). In mexico (and presumably every other country), it’s still “Golfo de México”. I don’t know if they’ll change Lake Ontario to whatever it was trump did but it would surprise me if they didn’t, and just as with the Gulf it’s going to only be americans that are impacted & everyone else will be continuing to ignore his nonsense.
edit: (You apparently can change your domain to view what it looks like from other countries - though I couldn’t figure out how to do it in the ten seconds I tried just now. Some domains display some alternative names in parens too I’m told, though I haven’t looked into that one at all. I know in Mexico and Egypt it didn’t show up as Gulf of America when I checked, so there’s that. The next most famous example is the shitshow that is the Persian Gulf / Gulf of Iran / Arabian Gulf debate.)
In the US, the maintaining authority on references for geographic features is the Board of Geographic Names. It’s a federal agency operating under the secretary of the interior - and unfortunately, the president does have the unilateral authority to direct them to change official names (in theory he can’t change it for internal political reasons - declaring something the “Barack Obama memorial dick-shaped rock” or whatever - but I don’t know if that has ever been ruled on)
There’s a public process the agency is required to go through for changing names of places. Trump bypassed that and had the USGS update the GNIS with the name change through an Executive Order and not through the BGN. When called out on it they tried to get it through Congress, but the Senate didn’t approve the name change.
It isn’t the Gulf of America.
The board actually did vote on the name in 2006, but rejected it.
The Secretary of the Interior, hereinafter called the Secretary, conjointly with the Board on Geographic Names, as hereinafter provided, shall provide for uniformity in geographic nomenclature and orthography throughout the Federal Government. The Secretary may exercise his functions through such officials as he may designate, except that such authority as relates to the final approval or review of actions of the Board on Geographic Names shall be exercised by him, or his Under or Assistant Secretaries. (July 25, 1947, ch. 330, §1, 61 Stat. 456) [Emphasis mine]
The above lays out very clearly that the Board of Geographic Names is a non-independent body, reporting to and operating under the authority of the Board but subordinate to the Secretary of the Interior, who possesses the ultimate authority on executive (not procedural) matters.
The Secretary shall cause such studies and investigations to be made and such records to be kept as may be necessary or desirable in carrying out the purposes of this chapter […]
(July 25, 1947, ch. 330, §4, 61 Stat. 456.)
The above clearly establishes that the creation and maintenance of records is left to the discretion of the secretary.
The Board, subject to the approval of the Secretary, shall formulate principles, policies, and procedures […] Action may be taken by the Secretary in any matter wherein the Board does not act within a reasonable time. […]
(July 25, 1947, ch. 330, §3, 61 Stat. 456.) [Emphasis mine]
The above was referenced in the most recent precedent for this method of directing name changes, and this interpretation has been supported by now three administrations, as Sec. Jewell directed (in a much more polite order than that trumpling’s tripe) the board to adopt the name for Mt. Denali. The board has since then repeatedly clarified that to override an executive order, they would need the intervention of congress (particularly during attempts to revert, and the later successful reversion, of the name from Mt. Denali).
Since it’s establishment, the BGN has operated under the executive direction of the Secretary of the Interior, who in turn is directed by the Executive Branch. There is no requirement, in the initial act, subsequent revisions or in the organizational bylaws (which interestingly have been changed by the trump admin, but I couldn’t find a meaningful difference to the archived copies?) that name changes must be submitted through the board, that changes to GNIS require approval by the board or that there was any procedural reason that what Trump did by having the Sec. Interior order the change was in any way unofficial or, except morally, improper.
I’m sorry, as much as I wish this weren’t the case, you’re simply wrong. By every measure the US government has established, that is it’s official name in the USA.
Well, sorta?
The name was changed for US users, as google’s policy is to use whatever a user’s country’s official name for something is (also true for where borders are drawn and so on). In mexico (and presumably every other country), it’s still “Golfo de México”. I don’t know if they’ll change Lake Ontario to whatever it was trump did but it would surprise me if they didn’t, and just as with the Gulf it’s going to only be americans that are impacted & everyone else will be continuing to ignore his nonsense.
edit: (You apparently can change your domain to view what it looks like from other countries - though I couldn’t figure out how to do it in the ten seconds I tried just now. Some domains display some alternative names in parens too I’m told, though I haven’t looked into that one at all. I know in Mexico and Egypt it didn’t show up as Gulf of America when I checked, so there’s that. The next most famous example is the shitshow that is the Persian Gulf / Gulf of Iran / Arabian Gulf debate.)
I’m French and in my case it’s “Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America)”, so yeah both names
Same thing in Spain. Kind of disgusting they’re forcing it on everyone.
CoMaps still shows the proper name (Gulf of Mexico), and no mention of the Gulf of America, so that’s another easy win for OSM and CoMaps
Huh - very interesting! Does it display that way in both english / spanish?
Oh that’s an interesting question. Could be different. But no, just checked for French. It displays the same thing in both English and French
So weird, I wonder why it wasn’t doing that in arabic. God it’s not enough google is evil, they have to be obtuse about their shit while they do it.
It’s not officially the Gulf of America in the US. The President can’t just arbitrarily rename shit.
In the US, the maintaining authority on references for geographic features is the Board of Geographic Names. It’s a federal agency operating under the secretary of the interior - and unfortunately, the president does have the unilateral authority to direct them to change official names (in theory he can’t change it for internal political reasons - declaring something the “Barack Obama memorial dick-shaped rock” or whatever - but I don’t know if that has ever been ruled on)
edit: missing a word
There’s a public process the agency is required to go through for changing names of places. Trump bypassed that and had the USGS update the GNIS with the name change through an Executive Order and not through the BGN. When called out on it they tried to get it through Congress, but the Senate didn’t approve the name change.
It isn’t the Gulf of America.
The board actually did vote on the name in 2006, but rejected it.
It is currently listed in the GNIS as “Gulf of America” (you can confirm this here)
Yes. But it wasn’t changed through the legal public process, so the GNIS is not accurate.
From 43 USC Ch. 11A: BOARD ON GEOGRAPHIC NAMES:
The above lays out very clearly that the Board of Geographic Names is a non-independent body, reporting to and operating under the authority of the Board but subordinate to the Secretary of the Interior, who possesses the ultimate authority on executive (not procedural) matters.
The above clearly establishes that the creation and maintenance of records is left to the discretion of the secretary.
The above was referenced in the most recent precedent for this method of directing name changes, and this interpretation has been supported by now three administrations, as Sec. Jewell directed (in a much more polite order than that trumpling’s tripe) the board to adopt the name for Mt. Denali. The board has since then repeatedly clarified that to override an executive order, they would need the intervention of congress (particularly during attempts to revert, and the later successful reversion, of the name from Mt. Denali).
Since it’s establishment, the BGN has operated under the executive direction of the Secretary of the Interior, who in turn is directed by the Executive Branch. There is no requirement, in the initial act, subsequent revisions or in the organizational bylaws (which interestingly have been changed by the trump admin, but I couldn’t find a meaningful difference to the archived copies?) that name changes must be submitted through the board, that changes to GNIS require approval by the board or that there was any procedural reason that what Trump did by having the Sec. Interior order the change was in any way unofficial or, except morally, improper.
I’m sorry, as much as I wish this weren’t the case, you’re simply wrong. By every measure the US government has established, that is it’s official name in the USA.