Nearshore Americas
google maps

Google Maps Labels U.S. a “Sensitive Country”

Google Maps has classified the United States as a “sensitive country” following President Donald Trump’s decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.”

Countries with strict governance or territorial disputes usually fall under this category. Others on the list include China, Russia, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq, according to CNBC, which first reported the change.

This designation means some map labels in the U.S. may appear differently from those elsewhere. For example, users in Mexico and the rest of America will still see “Gulf of Mexico,” while U.S. users will see “Gulf of America” after official updates.

Trump also ordered Alaska’s Mount Denali to be renamed Mount McKinley.

Other tech companies, including Meta and TikTok, have also adjusted policies in response to Trump’s executive order.

The move underscores how technology and politics shape public information and digital navigation.

Sign up for our Nearshore Americas newsletter:


“We’ve received a few questions about naming within Google Maps. We have a longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources,” Google said in a post on X.

With over 2 billion monthly users, Google Maps is the most widely used navigation software.

Narayan Ammachchi

News Editor for Nearshore Americas, Narayan Ammachchi is a career journalist with a decade of experience in politics and international business. He works out of his base in the Indian Silicon City of Bangalore.

Add comment