Things are heating up between Mexico and Google, and it’s not over tech or taxes—it’s about maps. Specifically, the name of a body of water that’s been known for centuries as the Gulf of Mexico.
Mexico is officially suing Google after the tech giant started labeling the Gulf as the “Gulf of America”—but only for users in the United States.
The change, which quietly appeared on Google Maps, follows an executive order signed by US President Donald Trump on his first day back in office, declaring the new name for federal use.
However, Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum isn’t having it. She says her government made multiple requests asking Google to stick with the traditional name, but those were ignored.
Now, Mexico is taking legal action, arguing that the US has no right to rename an entire international body of water that also borders Mexico and Cuba
“All we want is for the decree issued by the US government to be applied only to their territory,” Sheinbaum said, pointing out that the US can’t just rename the whole gulf
Meanwhile, Google has said that it’s simply following its policy of using names provided by official government sources. For now, US users see “Gulf of America,” while users in Mexico and elsewhere still see “Gulf of Mexico” or a hybrid label like “Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America)”.
Stay tuned for more updates!
Also read: Donald Trump Officially Renames Gulf of Mexico to “Gulf of America”
