Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has announced that her government is taking legal action against Google for changing the name of the “Gulf of Mexico” to “Gulf of America” on Google Maps, at least for users in the United States.
According to reports from CBS News, the change was made after former U.S. President Donald Trump pushed for it at the start of his term.
President Sheinbaum warned that Mexico would go to court in February if Google didn’t fix the labeling. While the map still shows “Gulf of Mexico” for users in Mexico, users in other regions — including the U.S. — now see it labeled as “Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America).”
Speaking at a press briefing, Sheinbaum said the U.S. government has no right to rename international waters. “Each country can decide what to call the areas within its borders,” she said. “But the U.S. can’t rename the parts that belong to Mexico, Cuba, or anyone else.”
Before taking legal action, Mexican officials reportedly sent letters to Google, asking the company not to change the label in its platform. Google’s response, shared by Sheinbaum, was firm: they had no plans to change their naming policy. Meanwhile, the U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a bill to make the “Gulf of America” label official in the U.S.
During Trump’s presidency, his administration insisted that media and tech companies use the new name. At one point, even The Associated Press was barred from White House briefings after refusing to use “Gulf of America” in its reports — a ban that was later lifted by a federal judge.
Google was one of the first tech companies to follow Trump’s request, changing the label in its Maps app by February 10th. Apple also updated its maps shortly after, while MapQuest chose not to follow along and even created a page poking fun at the change.
As of now, Google has not publicly responded to recent questions about the lawsuit.
