MWE Correspondent
The Government of Mexico has filed a lawsuit against tech giant Google over its decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” on its mapping platforms.
The controversial change stems from Executive Order 14172, issued by former U.S. President Donald Trump, which called for the adoption of the new name within U.S. territory and official platforms.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum condemned the name change, calling it an infringement on Mexico’s territorial identity and sovereignty. She argued that the Gulf is not solely under U.S. jurisdiction, as it also borders Mexico and Cuba, making the unilateral renaming a violation of international norms.
“The Gulf of Mexico is a shared natural body, and any attempt to rename it without multilateral agreement is unacceptable,” Sheinbaum said during a press briefing on Friday. “We are taking Google to court not only for misrepresenting our geography but for aiding in a symbolic overreach by the former U.S. administration.”
The Mexican government had previously warned it would take legal action if the issue was not rectified. Despite those warnings, Google continued to use “Gulf of America” in its English-language mapping services for users based in the United States, while still showing “Gulf of Mexico” to users in Mexico and other regions.
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In response to the lawsuit, a Google spokesperson said the company “follows official government naming conventions” and applies different labels based on user location and language preferences. The spokesperson emphasized that Google had not made a political statement but was following “recognized administrative sources.”
The move has sparked global debate about the authority of digital platforms in naming geographic locations. The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names (UNGEGN) has not recognized the “Gulf of America” designation and continues to refer to the water body by its traditional name.
In the United States, the House of Representatives passed the so-called Gulf of America Act earlier this year, a largely symbolic measure aimed at reinforcing the new terminology within U.S. federal documents and databases.
Meanwhile, Mexican officials are rallying diplomatic support from other Gulf-bordering nations and international legal bodies to block the change and preserve the traditional name on global mapping platforms.
Legal analysts predict a complex international legal battle over naming rights in the digital age, particularly as global tech firms navigate competing national interests and historical designations.
