Mexico has warned it may take legal action against Google over its decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” for users in the United States, following an executive order signed by US President Donald Trump.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Thursday that her government had already challenged Google over the name change but had not received a satisfactory response. “We do have a dispute with Google at the moment,” Sheinbaum said during her morning news conference. “And if necessary, we will file a civil suit,” she added.
The dispute began after Trump, shortly after returning to the White House on January 20, signed executive orders renaming the Gulf of Mexico.
Sheinbaum argued that Trump’s order only applied to the United States’ continental shelf and should not affect Mexican territory. “What we are saying to Google is: check the order that was issued by the White House and signed by President Trump. You will see that it does not refer to the entire Gulf, but to the continental shelf,” she said.
Despite Mexico sending an official letter to Google, the tech giant has stood by its decision. Google said last month that its policy is to apply name changes when they have been updated in official government sources.
The name of the Gulf on Google Maps varied based on the user’s location. In the United States, it appeared as the “Gulf of America,” while in Mexico, it remained the “Gulf of Mexico.” In many other regions, both names were shown as “Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America).” Apple has also updated its maps to display the new name for US users.
Sheinbaum has repeatedly defended the name “Gulf of Mexico,” noting that its use dates back to at least 1607 and is recognised by the United Nations. She has also pointed to historical maps from before 1848, when the US seized a third of Mexico’s territory, as evidence of the region’s historical ties. In response to Trump’s move, she has jokingly suggested that Google rename the US as “Mexican America” when searched.
Mexico and the US have a long history of disputes over geographic names.
The border river between Texas and the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas is another example—Mexico calls it the “Río Bravo,” while in the US, it is known as the “Rio Grande.”
The renaming has also sparked outrage beyond Mexico, with Indigenous groups in Alaska condemning Trump’s decision to revert Denali to Mount McKinley.
Sheinbaum has made it clear that Mexico will not back down. “If they continue to insist, we will too,” she said. “We are even thinking of a lawsuit, because they are even naming Mexican territory, which is our continental shelf.”
