Mexico Threatens Legal Action Against Google Over “Gulf of America” Map Controversy

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum indicated Thursday that his government plans to file a civil lawsuit against Google because Google continues to display the Gulf of Mexico as “Gulf of America” instead of its traditional name “Gulf of Mexico.” Mexican authorities strongly oppose the name change initiated by former U.S. President Donald Trump which resulted in the Gulf renaming dispute.

During her morning news briefing Sheinbaum declared that Mexico possesses full autonomy over its continental shelf which prompted her criticism of Google for maintaining the name change after Mexican officials voiced their official opposition. According to her morning news conference the Gulf of Mexico needs to keep its original name Gulf of Mexico rather than Gulf of America. The Mexican government has officially requested Google to fix the incorrect nomenclature through a written correspondence.

Google makes name updates through official government sources according to its policy. The name of the Gulf appears differently across Google Maps depending on users’ location settings since it shows “Gulf of America” in American territories and simultaneously displays “Gulf of Mexico” in Mexico with dual nomenclature in other parts.

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Sheinbaum emphasized that the Gulf of Mexico first appeared on historical records dating to 1607 while it also gained United Nations recognition. She emphasized the historical validity provided by the 1814 Constitution of Apatzingán which designated North America as “Mexican America.”

The naming disagreement has brought back past territorial disputes analogously to the Rio Bravo versus Rio Grande territorial conflict two nations previously had. The digital dispute between Mexico and Google became more intense when Mexico set a demand for “Mexican America” to appear during map searches.

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