Mexico Suing Google Over Name Change Of Gulf of Mexico On U.S. Maps

Mexico has threatened to take Google to court if its maps for U.S.-based users continue labeling the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, President Claudia Sheinbaum announced.

Sheinbaum said the renaming is incorrect, explaining that Trump’s decree only changed the name within U.S. territorial waters.

She argued that U.S. President Donald Trump’s order to rename the gulf applies only to the portion of the continental shelf under U.S. control, Michael Rios, Billy Stockwell, and Karol Suarez reported for CNN.

“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 told reporters.

“We do not agree with this, and the Foreign Minister has sent a new letter addressing the issue.”

Sheinbaum said the renaming is incorrect, explaining that Trump’s decree only changed the name within U.S. territorial waters, which extend 22 nautical miles from the U.S. coast—not the entire Gulf.”

Google Maps recently renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America for U.S.-based users, citing its “longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources.” 

However, users in Mexico still see "Gulf of Mexico," while users in other countries see both names.

Sheinbaum had previously warned that legal action could follow if Google failed to correct what she called an "inaccurate designation." Clare Duffy also reported for CNN that Mexico is considering a civil suit against the tech giant.