If you’re not on board with the newly dubbed Gulf of America, don’t worry – MapQuest has got you covered. The online navigation company seems to be playfully responding to President Donald Trump’s executive order to rename the body of water along the nation’s southern coast.
Trump’s decision to rebrand the Gulf of Mexico has sparked a range of reactions. While some residents, particularly in Florida, have embraced the change, others are less enthusiastic. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is among those displeased with the renaming, even threatening legal action against Google for updating the name to Gulf of America on Google Maps within the United States.
Apple Maps and Bing Maps have also adopted the name Gulf of America on their platforms.
Here’s the scoop on the recent switch, as well as the diverse names individuals are assigning to it via a new feature on MapQuest.
“Name your own Gulf,” suggests MapQuest. The company recently introduced a website, Gulfof.MapQuest.com, where users can bestow a custom moniker upon the gulf. Once a new name is selected, it will be displayed over the water on a map that can be downloaded or shared on social media, though it won’t change MapQuest’s official map presentation.
Social media users are expressing their opinions on the Gulf of America by creating whimsical maps with names like “Gulf of Fragile Masculinity,” “Gulf of Greenland,” and “Gulf of $7 Eggs” on BlueSky.
Why the shift to Gulf of America? Google explained in a statement that the alteration was made to align with official government names, following the Geographic Names Information System guidelines from the United States Geological Survey. The name displayed can differ based on the user’s location, ensuring that individuals see the appropriate local designation.
While Apple and Bing have updated their maps to reflect Gulf of America, MapQuest has opted to retain the Gulf of Mexico title. The navigation company humorously clarified that their decision was not politically motivated but rather due to a lack of recent map updates.
Social media users on MapQuest have offered a variety of quirky names for the ‘Gulf of America,’ including “Gulf of Fragile Masculinity,” “Gulf of Salt Water,” and “Gulf of Greenland.”
“Order Could Have Been An Email””Gulf of Dumbest Timeline””Gulf of All the Americas. Canada, come on in, the water is warm.””Gulf of Incalculable Horrors””Gulf of Can I swim to Norway from here?”What is MapQuest? Is it free to use?MapQuest is a free online mapping and navigation service that was introduced in 1996, marking its place as one of the earliest commercial mapping services of its time. In the days before voice navigation systems in vehicles, individuals could input their destination on MapQuest and obtain detailed turn-by-turn instructions that could be printed for reference during travels. The MapQuest app is accessible to both Apple iPhone and Google Android users. This article was originally featured on Indianapolis Star: MapQuest is allowing users to suggest new titles for the Gulf of America. Here’s how.
