Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum threatened to sue Google if it continued to use the name Gulf of Mexico on its maps. The body of water between Florida and the Yucatan Peninsula was called the Gulf of Mexico on all maps until US President Donald Trump renamed it in January. According to Sheinbaum, Mexico has written two letters to the company and will take legal action if it does not receive a satisfactory response, AFP reported.
Mexico’s Legal Threat and Trump’s Orders
“We will wait for a response from Google, and if not, we will take legal action,” the president told reporters today regarding the request to restore the original name. According to the president, Trump’s order does not apply to the part of the bay that belongs to Mexican territory.
Trump had talked about renaming the Gulf since early January, before his inauguration. On his first day in office, January 20, he signed an executive order confirming the move. He then issued another executive order declaring February 9th as American Gulf Day.
Google’s Response and Mexico’s Claim
Google renamed the gulf on its maps a day later, for users in the United States. The company said the reason for this was the new name being entered into the US Geographic Names Database. People in Mexico will still see only the name Gulf of Mexico on Google Maps, while users in other countries will see both names.
Sheinbaum has previously hyperbolized the dispute by suggesting that the United States be renamed “Mexican America,” referring to a 17th-century map showing much of the North American region under that name. Mexico also says the name of the gulf predates the United States itself.
Source: čtk
