The President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, has reiterated that Google has no right to change the name of the continental shelf of Mexico. This comment arises after a letter from Google in response to the name change of the Gulf of Mexico to 'Gulf of America' on the search platform, following a decree from U.S. President Donald Trump.
In the morning conference on February 17, Sheinbaum announced Google's response sent to its CEO, Sundar Pichai, on January 29, 2025. The tech company confirmed that users in Mexico will continue to see the name 'Gulf of Mexico', while in the United States it will appear as 'Gulf of America'.
Google emphasized that its policy on geographic names seeks to accurately and timely represent geographic names based on multiple authoritative sources. Although international treaties do not govern how private map providers present geographical features, Google consults various government sources to ensure objective representation.
As announced, the update in Google Maps will show users in Mexico the name 'Gulf of Mexico', users in the U.S. 'Gulf of America', and users in other countries may see both names. The company stated that these changes align with its standard procedure to reflect geographic names according to the governmental sources of each country.
In response to Google's insistence on changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico beyond the continental shelf of the United States, Mexico has declared that it will act in court if necessary. In a second letter from the Mexican government to the company, it was pointed out that Trump's decree only affects the U.S. continental shelf, not that of Mexico and Cuba, so they believe that Google has no right to rename the continental shelf of Mexico.
