The president of Mexico has requested that Google refrain from adopting Donald Trump’s proposed new designation for the Gulf of Mexico, which he committed to rename as the Gulf of America shortly after taking office.
Earlier this week, Google announced that it would alter the name of the water body on Google Maps once the U.S. Geographic Names System officially reflects this change.
Mexico asserts that the U.S. lacks the legal authority to modify the name of the Gulf, as stipulated by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which dictates that a nation’s sovereign rights extend only 12 nautical miles from its coast.
During a press briefing on Thursday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum read from her correspondence with Google, stating, “If a nation seeks to change the label of something in the sea, it would only pertain to within 12 nautical miles,” as reported by CNN.
“It cannot extend beyond that, particularly in the case of the Gulf of Mexico.”
Ms. Sheinbaum has previously lightheartedly suggested the possibility of renaming the continent of North America to “Mexican America” in her nation.
She remarked, “We request that when ‘Mexican America’ is entered into the search engine, the map we provided appears.”
A foundational document from 1814, which predated Mexico’s constitution, referred to the continent by that name.
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Under the revised settings on Google Maps, American users would observe the designation as the Gulf of America, while users from Mexico and Cuba would see it maintain its original name, the Gulf of Mexico. Users from around the globe would encounter both titles.
On Monday, Google clarified the updates as part of its “established practice,” noting: “When official titles differ across nations, Maps users view their respective local official name.”
“Everyone else worldwide will see both names. This principle is applicable here as well.”
