Mexico SUES Google for altering Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America for tech big’s map customers in United States
Mexico has sued Google after it caved to President Donald Trump‘s demands to change the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America on its map for users in the US.
Just hours after he took office in January, Trump instructed the US Board on Geographic Names to make the change and also re-name the Alaskan peak Denali, the tallest mountain in North America, to Mount McKinley.
The name has remained Gulf of Mexico on Google Maps in Mexico but outside of the two countries, users will see both names with Gulf of America in brackets.
Mexico’s president Claudia Sheinbaum did not disclose when the lawsuit was submitted but said it ‘has already been filed’.
The demand for the change was one of Trump’s many executive orders, as he argued the ocean basin was ‘ours’ and that the US had done ‘most of the work there’.
The president also proclaimed February 8th as Gulf of America day on his way to the Super Bowl as Air Force One flew over the gulf.
In response, Google said it would follow the US government in renaming the gulf, which sits between the US, Mexico and Cuba.
Ms Sheinbaum previously warned Google she was considering legal action unless they went back on the decision.
Mexico’s president Claudia Sheinbaum (pictured) did not disclose when the lawsuit was submitted but said it ‘has already been filed’
The demand for the change was one of Trump’s many executive orders, as he argued the ocean basin was ‘ours’ and that the US had done ‘most of the work there’
The name has remained Gulf of Mexico on Google Maps in Mexico but outside of the two countries, users will see both names with Gulf of America in brackets
In January, she said: ‘For us, it is still the Gulf of Mexico, and for the entire world it is still the Gulf of Mexico.’
The same month, Ms Sheinbaum jokingly suggested North America, including the United States, should be renamed ‘Mexican America’ – a historic name used on an early map of the region.
US lawmakers voted in favour of the name change on Thursday, making the executive order signed by the US president now federal law.
Mexico argues that Trump’s executive order only applies to the part of the continental shelf belonging to the US.
‘All we want is for the decree issued by the US government to be complied with,’ Ms Sheinbaum said, adding: ‘The US government only calls the portion of the US continental shelf the Gulf of America, not the entire gulf, because it wouldn’t have the authority to name the entire gulf.’
When the change was made, a Google spokesperson said: ‘We have a longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources.
‘When official names vary between countries, Maps users see their official local name. Everyone in the rest of the world sees both names. That applies here too.’
Ms Sheinbaum jokingly suggested North America, including the United States, be renamed ‘Mexican America’ – a historic name used on an early map of the region
The Trump administration’s Interior Department said it had officially changed the name of the Alaskan peak Denali, the tallest mountain in North America, to Mount McKinley
Mexico, which like the U.S. has a long coastline circling the body of water, has said the Gulf of Mexico name is internationally recognized and has been used as a maritime navigational reference going back hundreds of years. (Pictured: the blue waters of the Gulf)
It is not the only instance of Google showing two names for disputed places.
The sea between Japan and Korea is shown as the Sea of Japan – Tokyo’s preferred name – but Korea’s preferred name, the East Sea, is shown in brackets.
Similarly, the Falkland Islands shows up with Islas Malvinas in brackets.
However, Britain will continue to refer to the contested body of water as the Gulf of Mexico unless the new title gains widespread usage in English, The Telegraph reported.
