Mexico Grants Google a Final Deadline After Trump’s Controversial Move
Mexico announced on Monday that it is awaiting a new response from the American tech giant, Google,
regarding its demand to revert the name of the Gulf of Mexico on Google Maps back from “Gulf of
America” to its original name. This follows the name change initiated after a declaration by former U.S.
President Donald Trump.
President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico shared a letter from Chris Turner, Google’s Vice President of
Government Affairs and Public Policy, addressed to the Mexican government. The letter indicates that
Google is willing to reconsider its policy following Trump’s announcement to rename the body of water.
In a brief press statement on Monday morning, Sheinbaum stated, “We will wait for Google’s response,
and if they do not act, we will proceed to court.”
Currently, on Google Maps, the body of water appears as “Gulf of America” within the United States,
“Gulf of Mexico” within Mexico, and “Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America)” in other locations. Turner’s
letter explains that Google used the name “Gulf of America” in continuation of longstanding map
policies for neutrality and consistency across regions. He also mentioned that Google was prepared to
meet with the Mexican government in person.
Turner added, “While international treaties and agreements are not intended to regulate how private
map providers name geographical features, our policy has consistently been to consult multiple reliable
sources to provide the most accurate and up-to-date depiction of the world.”
Mexico claims that Google’s naming policy infringes on Mexican sovereignty, noting that the U.S. has
jurisdiction over only about 46% of the gulf, with Mexico controlling 49%, and Cuba around 5%.
The name “Gulf of Mexico” has been recognized since 1607 and is acknowledged by the United Nations.
In response to Google’s letter, Mexican authorities stated they would take legal action, emphasizing that
“Mexico will not accept under any circumstances the renaming of a geographic area within its territory
and under its jurisdiction.”
Trump’s decision to rename the water body to Gulf of America has heightened tensions between Mexico
and the United States at a critical time for the neighboring allies.
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