A Loaded Name

Mexico is threatening to sue Google if it doesn’t restore the name “Gulf of Mexico” on its Google Maps service, saying that much of the gulf lies outside of US territorial waters, CNN reported.

On Monday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said that US President Donald Trump’s executive order to rename the gulf to the “Gulf of America” can only apply to the US continental shelf.

She added that she is waiting on a response from Google concerning Mexico’s request to restore the name before filing a lawsuit against the company, the Associated Press reported.

Google had already sent a letter to Mexico saying that the company doesn’t plan on changing the name of the gulf because it is following “longstanding maps policies impartially and consistently across all regions,” and only changing names when there have been updates from official government sources.

At the moment, the gulf appears in Google Maps as the Gulf of America for users accessing the service within the US, while it appears as the Gulf of Mexico for those within Mexico and for the rest of the world.

Mexico said that this policy is violating Mexico’s sovereignty as the country has 49 percent jurisdiction over the gulf and the US only 46. The remaining five percent belongs to Cuba. The name Gulf of Mexico has been in use for centuries and is recognized by the United Nations.

Google said it is willing to meet in person with the Mexican government to discuss the topic.

The renaming of the gulf by Trump has raised tension between Mexico and the US at a critical time for the two countries.

Sheinbaum is balancing relations with the US amid tariff threats and mass deportations.