Mexico is threatening legal action against Google over the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America” on Google Maps, a change made following an executive order by US President Donald Trump.
President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico insists that Trump’s decree should only apply to the area of the Gulf under US jurisdiction, which covers just 46% of the area, and argues the renaming violates Mexican sovereignty.
“What Google is doing here is changing the name of the continental shelf of Mexico and Cuba, which has nothing to do with Trump’s decree,” Sheinbaum said in a press briefing on Monday. “We do not agree with this.”
Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum said Monday the country is awaiting a new response from Google to its request that the tech company fully restore the name Gulf of Mexico to its Google Maps service before filing a lawsuit. pic.twitter.com/u5MkAC40vp
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Google has stated that the name change aligns with their policy to reflect official government sources and offers different naming views based on user location. While American users currently see the Gulf’s new name, international users still see the body of water labeled as the Gulf of Mexico.
“While international treaties and conventions are not intended to regulate how private mapping providers represent geographic features, it is our consistent policy to consult multiple authoritative sources to provide the most up to date and accurate representation of the world,” wrote Cris Turner, Google’s vice president of government affairs and public policy, in a letter to the Mexican government.
The Mexican government has formally requested that Google restore the original name, asserting that the renaming is incorrect and oversteps boundaries into Mexican and Cuban territories. Mexico currently controls 49% of the Gulf’s area, compared to the 46% overseen by the US. Cuba has jurisdiction over the remainder.
The Gulf was named in Mexico’s favor in 1607, at a time when Spain controlled territories stretching from Florida to California, as well as in the Caribbean.
While Google has expressed willingness to meet with Mexican officials, they have not indicated plans to revert the name change, prompting Mexico to prepare for possible court proceedings.
“We will wait for Google’s response and if not, we will proceed to court,” Sheinbaum warned.
Since taking office last month, President Trump has dedicated considerable effort and resources to the renaming effort, even going so far as to ban reporters from the Associated Press from multiple White House events over the outlet’s refusal to embrace the new name.
Connor Walcott is the lead writer for Valuetainment.com. Follow Connor on X and look for him on VT’s “The Unusual Suspects.”
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