The Mexican government has taken legal action against tech giant Google for renaming the Gulf of Mexico to "Gulf of America" on its Maps platform for users in the United States. The move has sparked diplomatic tensions and accusations of violating international naming conventions.
The controversial change originated from a Trump executive order
The issue stems from an executive order signed by Donald Trump, which directed all U.S. federal agencies to refer to the body of water as the Gulf of America. In compliance, Google updated its Maps service to reflect the name change, but only for users located within the United States.
For Mexican users, the label still reads "Gulf of Mexico," while global users outside the U.S. and Mexico see a dual label: “Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America).”
President Sheinbaum condemns the renaming
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum criticised the move during a press conference, stating,
“No country can unilaterally rename a body of water that spans multiple borders. If the U.S. wants to call their side something else, fine — but they cannot rename the entire Gulf.”
She emphasised that the Gulf of Mexico is an internationally recognised name with coastlines shared by Mexico, the U.S., and Cuba.
Google refuses to reverse the update
Despite prior warnings, Google denied Mexico’s request to revert the name change. The company’s Vice President of Government Affairs, Cris Turner, said Google was simply following its mapping policies impartially and consistently in response to U.S. federal orders.
Mexico seeks to protect geographic sovereignty
The Mexican government argues that international waters must not be subjected to unilateral renaming by any single country. Sheinbaum confirmed that the legal complaint aims to protect territorial and geographical sovereignty.
The U.S. House of Representatives has also passed a bill supporting the name change, directing all federal bodies to update their maps accordingly.
Other mapping services and tech giants respond differently
While Google complied, Apple Maps reportedly made similar changes. However, services like MapQuest have so far resisted renaming the Gulf. It is currently unclear whether Mexico will pursue legal action against other companies beyond Google.