Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has announced that her government is suing tech giant Google over its labelling of the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” on Google Maps for users in the United States. The move comes after repeated diplomatic objections were ignored, according to Sheinbaum. She did not specify the jurisdiction in which the lawsuit was filed, and Google has yet to respond to the development.
The dispute escalated after the U.S. House of Representatives, led by Republicans, voted to officially rename the Gulf for federal use. The controversy deepened when former President Donald Trump, upon returning to office, signed an executive order formalising the change, stating, “We do most of the work there, and it’s ours.”
Mexico has strongly opposed the renaming, asserting that the United States has no authority to unilaterally alter the name of an international body of water. “All we want is for the U.S. decree to be applied within their own boundaries,” Sheinbaum said, maintaining that the name should remain unchanged on international platforms.
In January, Sheinbaum formally requested that Google revert to the original naming on its map services. After no corrective action was taken, she warned in February that legal action was imminent. Google had earlier justified the label change, citing its policy of adapting to official governmental recognitions.
Currently, the international version of Google Maps displays the label as “Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America),” reflecting a compromise that continues to stir diplomatic tensions.
The naming controversy has also affected the media landscape. The Associated Press rejected the new terminology, prompting a standoff with the White House. A federal judge ruled in favour of the AP in April, siding with its editorial independence.
Meanwhile, President Trump further inflamed tensions by suggesting the U.S. could also rename the Persian Gulf as the “Arabian Gulf,” a proposal that drew immediate condemnation from Iran.
