Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has strongly opposed Google’s decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” for US users, following an order by US President Donald Trump.
Sheinbaum argued that the United States cannot unilaterally change the name of a shared body of water and has formally addressed her concerns to Google.
Speaking at her regular morning press conference on Thursday, Sheinbaum presented a letter in which her government stated that the US has no authority to alter the name of the Gulf, which is also bordered by Mexico and Cuba. The letter cites the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which limits a nation’s sovereign territory to 12 nautical miles (about 22 kilometers) from its coastline.
Google announced on Monday that the name change would take effect for US users once it is officially updated in the US Geographic Names System. However, the Gulf will still be labeled “Gulf of Mexico” in Mexico, while users outside both countries will see both names on Google Maps.
Sheinbaum and Trump have clashed over the issue, with the Mexican president previously joking that if countries were renaming regions, North America might as well be called “Mexican America” based on historical maps from 1607. Sheinbaum also called on Google to prominently display this historical map when users search for “Mexican America.”
“The name change could only correspond to the 12 nautical miles away from the coastlines of the United States of America,” Sheinbaum emphasised, rejecting the unilateral renaming of the Gulf.
Mexico’s response underscores growing diplomatic tensions over territorial and historical narratives, with Sheinbaum urging Google to reconsider its decision.
Melissa Enoch
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