The change will likely only be visible to users based in the United States. As part of what it described as a longstanding practice, Google added, "When official names vary between countries, Maps users see their official local name. Everyone in the rest of the world sees both names. That applies here too."

"As directed by the President, the Gulf of Mexico will now officially be known as the Gulf of America," the Interior Department stated in a statement last week. Google responded by noting that the change complies with its longstanding policy of aligning map labeling with updates in official government databases.