Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Monday threatened to sue Google over the renaming of the “Gulf of Mexico” as the “Gulf of America” on Google Maps.
She warned that the government will take action if Google continues to claim the entire body of water—not just the U.S.-controlled area—now has President Donald Trump’s preferred name.
Sheinbaum reiterated her warning to Google after the Mexican leader said last week the country had sent a letter to Google asking it not to rename the gulf, warning that Mexico could take legal action if Google didn’t keep the Gulf of Mexico as the name.
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U.S. users of Google Maps now see the body of water listed as the “Gulf of America”—after Trump signed an executive order renaming it—while Mexican users still see it as the Gulf of Mexico, and users in other countries see both names.
While Google argues it’s just following longstanding practices of using official government names, the Mexican government claims the change is incorrect, as Trump’s executive order only renames the part of the gulf that’s under U.S. jurisdiction, not the body of water as a whole.
Mexico and Cuba maintain jurisdiction over parts of the gulf, which both countries refer to as the “Gulf of Mexico,” so only the U.S.-controlled part should be retitled on any maps, Sheinbaum argues.
After Google responded to Mexico’s initial letter about the name change—just saying it was acting “consistent with our product policies” and Mexican users would continue to see the historical name—Sheinbaum said Mexico’s foreign minister sent a new letter to Google on Monday saying the “Gulf of America” name “must be strictly limited to the marine area under U.S. jurisdiction.”
Extending the name beyond that area “exceeds the authority of any national government or private entity,” the Mexican government warned, as quoted by CNN, and “the Government of Mexico will take the appropriate legal actions as deemed necessary” if Google doesn’t change the designation.
