Apple Maps still calls it the Gulf of Mexico, and politicians are upset

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President Trump signed an executive order demanding that many landmarks change their names, including the Gulf of Mexico, but Apple Maps hasn't changed. Here's why it isn't quite that simple.

Smartphone displaying a map of the Gulf of Mexico, showing cities like Houston, New Orleans, and Mexico City, with surrounding regions labeled.
The Gulf of Mexico remains in Apple Maps



Maps are a funny thing. For a long time, we studied global geography using a map designed in 1569, but it inaccurately shows North America and Europe as much larger than they should be.

Nearly five hundred years later, we've started adapting more recent models that accurately show continent size. I bring this up simply because maps are complicated and changing the ones we rely on can take a lot of time and effort.

So, when the returning President Trump signed an executive order to change the names of landmarks, it should be easy to understand that it isn't quite so simple. Even if the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) standardizes the "Gulf of America," it only has authority over US federal uses.

Executive orders can only be given to federal or state agencies, not to the general public or private corporations. So, there is no direct ability for any entity to demand that Apple or Google change their mapping systems.

You would think that Representative Dan Crenshaw of Texas would know these things, but he posted on X anyway.

Hey @tim_cook, just noticed Apple Maps still calls it the Gulf of Mexico. Sent a report through the app, but thought you'd want to know! pic.twitter.com/fA7cWtOGY1

-- Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX)



The BGN in the US can direct federal agencies to adopt the name, but the rest of the world likely will still refer to that body of water as the Gulf of Mexico. The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names (UNGEN) is a group that works with all of the member countries to create a standard, and it seems unlikely that anyone else would be willing to adopt such a superfluous name change.

Apple and Google are global companies that serve everyone maps. They utilize a combination of their own data and public resources to map, name, and lay out everything for users.

The Gulf of Mexico has been called as much for over 400 years. The name comes from Aztec origins since those were the people that resided in the region when the Americas were colonized.

Other countries, generally ones with authoritarian rulers, have tried to coerce Apple and Google to change place names on maps. Like how Russia disagrees with what land Ukraine owns, or that China doesn't observe Taiwan as a separate entity.

The standardization of names on a map has always held some importance in ensuring everyone reading the map around the world understood what they were looking at. Many countries that don't use English as their primary language have different names than what are shown on the standardized map. For example, Japan is actually Nihon and Germany is actually Deutschland.

Perhaps the executive order will lead to paper maps and student handbooks showing the Gulf of America in the United States. To the rest of the world -- including the US military that adheres to international naming conventions -- it'll be the Gulf of Mexico.

If Crenshaw is upset, perhaps he should start by directing his ire at the BGN, which still lists the Gulf of Mexico in its database. Meanwhile, it seems highly unlikely that Apple will change the name of the location because of one country's demands.



Read on AppleInsider

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 64
    It is like we are living in a sitcom.
    killroyDAalsethGraeme000ForumPostbloggerbloglondorNickoTTronnfred1Appleish
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  • Reply 2 of 64
    DAalsethdaalseth Posts: 3,136member
    And once a state legislature tried to force PI to be 3.2. https://www.forbes.com/sites/kionasmith/2018/02/05/indianas-state-legislature-once-tried-to-legislate-the-value-of-pi/ Stupid is as Stupid Does. 
    killroyForumPostblastdoorlondorronnbaconstangjeffharriswatto_cobrachia
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  • Reply 3 of 64
    DAalsethdaalseth Posts: 3,136member
    I wonder if Trump knows it won’t change. He made all sorts of really stupid promises to his supporters. These Executive Orders let him say he followed through, but like his promise in 2016 to ‘bring back coal’ none of them stand a chance in hell of happening. He knows that but he’s just going through the motions. It’s also good misdirection so people talk about this, while he and his crew are doing real damage behind the scenes. 
    bloggerbloglondorronnSmittyWsconosciutobaconstangAlgeriOS_Guy80gatorguyroundaboutnow
     14Likes 3Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 4 of 64
    It is like we are living in a sitcom.
    Oh, this is the first chapter of a horror story.
    thtDAalsethGraeme000ForumPostblastdoorbloggerblogronnSmittyWsconosciutobaconstang
     16Likes 4Dislikes 2Informatives
  • Reply 5 of 64
    DAalseth said:
    I wonder if Trump knows it won’t change. He made all sorts of really stupid promises to his supporters. These Executive Orders let him say he followed through, but like his promise in 2016 to ‘bring back coal’ none of them stand a chance in hell of happening. He knows that but he’s just going through the motions. It’s also good misdirection so people talk about this, while he and his crew are doing real damage behind the scenes. 
    Trying to sanewash Trump only hurts everyone else.

    SmittyWsconosciutoAlgerjeffharriswatto_cobrabonobobdavAlex_Vmarklark
     7Likes 2Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 6 of 64
    entropysentropys Posts: 4,349member
    I find it all very entertaining.  
    One lot of yanks are currently overloaded with euphoria at the thought of a wrecking ball tearing the establishment down, the other lot are crying in their cups.

    and why not call it the Gulf of America? It isn’t as though the left aren’t busy changing place names all the time.
    Wesley HilliardForumPostblastdoorthtbloggerbloglondorronnMike WuertheleSmittyWAppleish
     5Likes 23Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 7 of 64
    netroxnetrox Posts: 1,523member
    entropys said:
    I find it all very entertaining.  
    One lot of yanks are currently overloaded with euphoria at the thought of a wrecking ball tearing the establishment down, the other lot are crying in their cups.

    and why not call it the Gulf of America? It isn’t as though the left aren’t busy changing place names all the time.
    What did Gulf of Mexico do to hurt Americans? 
    ronnSmittyWAlger12StrangersOctoMonkeywilliamlondonkkqd1337watto_cobralolliverchia
     11Likes 2Dislikes 1Informative
  • Reply 8 of 64
    Wesley Hilliardwesley hilliard Posts: 372member, administrator, moderator, editor
    entropys said:
    I find it all very entertaining.  
    One lot of yanks are currently overloaded with euphoria at the thought of a wrecking ball tearing the establishment down, the other lot are crying in their cups.

    and why not call it the Gulf of America? It isn’t as though the left aren’t busy changing place names all the time.
    I think the motive is different. Gulf of America is part of a bigger problem with the incoming administration suggesting that the United States is now an empire looking to expand its borders. The gulf's name predates the United States and is founded in the people that lived here before colonizers enslaved and killed them.

    It's the same mentality that demands we take over Canada and Greenland. It's the same mentality that led Putin to invade Ukraine.

    And you're comparing that to progressive reform in the United States to remove the names of traitors from government infrastructure and offensive stereotypes from packaging and football teams.

    They are not the same.

    It's totally ok though if you and team Trump want to call it the Gulf of America. The order is signed. It'll be on maps in federal buildings and in children's textbooks. However, unless the current administration wants to enact the Thought Police, there's nothing stopping me and the rest of the world from calling it the true name -- Gulf of Mexico.

    And if that triggers an extremist, it's just a bonus.
    thtmattinozbloggerbloggatorguylondorNickoTTronnmuthuk_vanalingampaisleydiscosconosciuto
     30Likes 1Dislike 0Informatives
  • Reply 9 of 64
    For the non-Americans, it will forever be the Gulf of Mexico.
    Wesley HilliardlondorronnSmittyWbaconstangjeffharris12Strangersroundaboutnowkurai_kagewilliamlondon
     15Likes 1Dislike 1Informative
  • Reply 10 of 64
    coolfactorcoolfactor Posts: 2,352member

    I hope we see some solid stats showing how many regret voting for this "President". So many families are in for a lot of hurt over the next four years because his stance on the US is not rooted in modern thought nor being inclusive.

    ronnmuthuk_vanalingamSmittyWbaconstangForumPostapple4thewinjeffharris12Strangersroundaboutnowwatto_cobra
     14Likes 1Dislike 0Informatives
  • Reply 11 of 64
    anonymouseanonymouse Posts: 7,015member
    The real problem is the colossal amount of money that will be wasted on this nonsense.
    ronnmuthuk_vanalingamSmittyWwelshdogbaconstangForumPostAlgerapple4thewinjeffharrisroundaboutnow
     15Likes 1Dislike 0Informatives
  • Reply 12 of 64
    canukstormcanukstorm Posts: 2,765member
    DAalseth said:
    I wonder if Trump knows it won’t change. He made all sorts of really stupid promises to his supporters. These Executive Orders let him say he followed through, but like his promise in 2016 to ‘bring back coal’ none of them stand a chance in hell of happening. He knows that but he’s just going through the motions. It’s also good misdirection so people talk about this, while he and his crew are doing real damage behind the scenes. 
    As a non-US citizen, how do Executive Orders work?  Are they not binding?  For example, the issue of birthright citizenship is a hot button topic which from my understanding is protected by the 14th Amendment.  Can an executive order just overturn that even though it's in the Constitution?
    edited January 21
    ForumPostwatto_cobra
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  • Reply 13 of 64
    Wesley Hilliardwesley hilliard Posts: 372member, administrator, moderator, editor
    DAalseth said:
    I wonder if Trump knows it won’t change. He made all sorts of really stupid promises to his supporters. These Executive Orders let him say he followed through, but like his promise in 2016 to ‘bring back coal’ none of them stand a chance in hell of happening. He knows that but he’s just going through the motions. It’s also good misdirection so people talk about this, while he and his crew are doing real damage behind the scenes. 
    As a non-US citizen, how do Executive Orders work?  Are they not binding?  For example, the issue of birthright citizenship is a hot button topic which from my understanding is protected by the 14th Amendment.  Can an executive order just overturn that even though it's in the Constitution?
    Nope. Many of Trump's executive orders were actually illegal. An executive order is kind of like a promissory note that conveys the intentions of the administration. They are binding for federal employees and offices, but can't go beyond that and can't violate the constitution. The orders can later be considered by Congress and the Supreme Court if they need further legislation to make them more official, or if they need to be blocked.

    For example, his orders about birthright citizenship aren't allowed, period. He can't actually provide amnesty to ByteDance from a law that was passed. And he can't withdraw from the WHO like that. He's being sued already and there are a lot of people on both sides of the isle that are unhappy with the many of the executive orders and what they do. Congress will likely overturn several. We'll see.
    SmittyWbaconstangSigsgaardsflagelForumPostbeowulfschmidtAlgerapple4thewinjeffharrisblastdoor
     13Likes 1Dislike 5Informatives
  • Reply 14 of 64
    It is like we are living in a sitcom.
    Sitcoms don't come with a body count.
    SmittyWbaconstangForumPostforegoneconclusionjeffharris12Strangersroundaboutnowkurai_kagekkqd1337watto_cobra
     13Likes 2Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 15 of 64
    entropys said:
    I find it all very entertaining.  
    One lot of yanks are currently overloaded with euphoria at the thought of a wrecking ball tearing the establishment down, the other lot are crying in their cups.

    and why not call it the Gulf of America? It isn’t as though the left aren’t busy changing place names all the time.
    oh good, know-nothings from the outside.
    SmittyWWesley HilliardsconosciutobaconstangJanNLForumPostroundaboutnowwilliamlondonwatto_cobratiredskills
     7Likes 6Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 16 of 64

    netrox said:
    entropys said:
    I find it all very entertaining.  
    One lot of yanks are currently overloaded with euphoria at the thought of a wrecking ball tearing the establishment down, the other lot are crying in their cups.

    and why not call it the Gulf of America? It isn’t as though the left aren’t busy changing place names all the time.
    What did Gulf of Mexico do to hurt Americans? 
    It's just more racism from the GOP.  It's part of something with a name of a op full of brown people that's touching America that Trump can use to rally the racist base to hate on.
    SmittyWmuthuk_vanalingamsconosciutobaconstangJanNLAlgerjeffharris12Strangersroundaboutnowkurai_kage
     12Likes 3Dislikes 2Informatives
  • Reply 17 of 64
    entropys said:
    I find it all very entertaining.  
    One lot of yanks are currently overloaded with euphoria at the thought of a wrecking ball tearing the establishment down, the other lot are crying in their cups.

    and why not call it the Gulf of America? It isn’t as though the left aren’t busy changing place names all the time.
    So entertaining. And good point, why not? I don't care much either way, but it's pretty hilarious reading these posts that are so self righteous, self assured, and.. triggered lol.

    Get with the program Tim, don't want to squander that $1M! Let's not be on the wrong side of those tariffs.
    JanNLForumPostAlger12Strangersroundaboutnowwilliamlondonwatto_cobrachiabonobobtiredskills
     3Likes 10Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 18 of 64
    DAalseth said:
    I wonder if Trump knows it won’t change. He made all sorts of really stupid promises to his supporters. These Executive Orders let him say he followed through, but like his promise in 2016 to ‘bring back coal’ none of them stand a chance in hell of happening. He knows that but he’s just going through the motions. It’s also good misdirection so people talk about this, while he and his crew are doing real damage behind the scenes. 
    As a non-US citizen, how do Executive Orders work?  Are they not binding?  For example, the issue of birthright citizenship is a hot button topic which from my understanding is protected by the 14th Amendment.  Can an executive order just overturn that even though it's in the Constitution?
    Nope. Many of Trump's executive orders were actually illegal. An executive order is kind of like a promissory note that conveys the intentions of the administration. They are binding for federal employees and offices, but can't go beyond that and can't violate the constitution. The orders can later be considered by Congress and the Supreme Court if they need further legislation to make them more official, or if they need to be blocked.

    For example, his orders about birthright citizenship aren't allowed, period. He can't actually provide amnesty to ByteDance from a law that was passed. And he can't withdraw from the WHO like that. He's being sued already and there are a lot of people on both sides of the isle that are unhappy with the many of the executive orders and what they do. Congress will likely overturn several. We'll see.
    You need to do some more research and look into what 'US jurisdiction' means. Might want to look up supreme court precedent while you're at it. You are welcome.

    Also, that's a shame about the WHO, looks like Tedros is going to have to go back to embezzling funds from the Ethiopian government again. Poor guy.
    Wesley HilliardsconosciutobaconstangAlger12Strangersroundaboutnowkurai_kagewilliamlondonwatto_cobrachia
     1Like 15Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 19 of 64
    bulk001bulk001 Posts: 800member
    entropys said:
    I find it all very entertaining.  
    One lot of yanks are currently overloaded with euphoria at the thought of a wrecking ball tearing the establishment down, the other lot are crying in their cups.

    and why not call it the Gulf of America? It isn’t as though the left aren’t busy changing place names all the time.
    oh good, know-nothings from the outside.
    Let’s be honest, isn’t that every American tourist in Europe *ever*? 
    SmittyWsconosciutobaconstangJanNLSigsgaard12Strangerswatto_cobrachiabonobobtiredskills
     7Likes 5Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 20 of 64
    I hope his sheep realize that Executive Orders are weak and temporary edicts. The moment his second and final term is over, the Democrat elected to clean up his mess AGAIN will reverse all of this petty BS.
    sconosciutowelshdogbaconstangSigsgaardForumPostAlgergatorguyjeffharrisblastdoor12Strangers
     19Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
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