In a landmark legal move, Mexico has filed a lawsuit against tech giant Google, demanding the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico back from its controversial designation, the Gulf of America, specifically for U.S. users on Google Maps. President Claudia Sheinbaum has expressed her dissatisfaction and frustration after several appeals to the tech company fell on deaf ears. The suit’s filing location has not been disclosed, but the issue stems from an executive order by former President Donald Trump, who claimed the U.S. "does most of the work there."
In response, Sheinbaum asserted that the executive order applies only to the United States' section of the continental shelf, emphasizing, "All we want is for the decree issued by the U.S. government to be complied with" and highlighting that the U.S. does not hold authority over the naming of an entire body of water internationally recognized as Mexican territory.
Sheinbaum's correspondence with Google began in January, where she appealed for the map adjustment before threatening legal action when the company maintained its stance. Google claimed the renaming was part of a "longstanding practice" of aligning names with those updated by official sources, while the "Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America)" label would still be used outside the U.S.
This naming dispute has compounded tensions, particularly as shown in a separate ongoing conflict involving the Associated Press and the White House, which stemmed from the news agency's refusal to adopt the term "Gulf of America". A ruling by a federal judge earlier this year mandated the White House cease its punitive measures against AP.
As political tensions rise and naming conventions come under scrutiny, Trump has hinted at another controversial geographic name change during a planned visit to Saudi Arabia, suggesting that the Persian Gulf may henceforth be known as the Arabian Gulf or Gulf of Arabia—sparking outrage from Iranian officials.
The resurfacing of the Gulf of America's issue serves as a reminder of the cultural and geographical complexities that indigenous and national identities face in a connected world.
