Mexico Considers Suing Google Over ‘Gulf of America’ Name Change

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced Thursday that her government may pursue legal action against Google if it continues labeling the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” on its maps. This follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent decree attempting to rename the body of water, which has historically been recognized as the Gulf of Mexico by international organizations, including the United Nations.

Despite Mexico’s objections and a formal letter to Google, the tech company has maintained that it applies name changes based on official government sources. As of Thursday, Google Maps displays the name differently depending on the user’s location, with U.S. users seeing “Gulf of America,” while Mexican users still see “Gulf of Mexico.”

Sheinbaum defended the traditional name, citing its use since 1607 and even sarcastically suggesting that if name changes were allowed, Google should also rename North America as “Mexican America.”

This dispute mirrors past disagreements over geographic names, such as the Rio Bravo/Rio Grande border river. Meanwhile, the White House has restricted Associated Press reporters from certain events due to the news agency’s policy on the Gulf’s naming dispute.

Source: AP News