Louisiana
Here’s what Governor Jeff Landry said Louisiana will do to adopt Gulf of America name
‘Gulf of Mexico’ is now ‘Gulf of America’ for US Google Maps users
Google Maps changed the ‘Gulf of Mexico’ name once it was officially updated in the U.S. Geographic Names System.
- President Trump signed an executive order that renames the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
- Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry announced that the state will quickly adopt the name change for all maps and official references.
- The change is recognized by the U.S. Board of Geographic Names and is reflected in Google Maps.
- Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo stated that Mexico will not recognize the name change.
Gov. Jeff Landry said Louisiana enthusiastically will adopt the Gulf of Mexico’s name change to the Gulf of America in state-produced maps and references.
President Donald Trump’s executive order making the name change formally took effect at the U.S. Board of Geographic Names this week.
And on Sunday, as Trump traveled to New Orleans for the Super Bowl, he declared Feb. 9 as Gulf of America Day while aboard Air Force One with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.
Louisiana is one of five states with the Gulf of America as a border. The others are Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and Texas.
“Absolutely; I love it,” Landry said about the name change in a text to USA Today Network. “We will be following the president and the name changes as quickly as we can.”
The change has been made for all federal government references in the centralized Geographic Names Information System.
Google has also updated the name change on its maps.
Other countries, however, don’t have to follow the U.S.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo has said she won’t acknowledge the name change and asked other countries’ leaders to also ignore Trump’s order. Pardo jokingly said she will start calling the U.S. “Mexican America.”
Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.