Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, is standing firm against an executive order issued by U.S. President Donald Trump, which called for renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.” This week, however, Google announced it will comply with the directive when Americans use its navigation app.
Sheinbaum argues name change violates law
In response to the name change, Sheinbaum sent a letter to Google, calling the decision a violation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas. She said that, per the law, Mexico and Cuba share the Gulf with the United States, and each nation’s territorial waters extend only 12 nautical miles from shore, after which their authority diminishes.
Google said that, as a company, it follows official government decisions regarding name changes. The tech giant explained that users would see different names depending on their location. In the U.S. and other regions, users will see “Gulf of America,” while Mexican users will continue to see “Gulf of Mexico.”
Trump’s executive order
On the first day of his presidency, Trump signed an executive order calling the Gulf of Mexico a “crucial artery for America’s early trade and global commerce” and argued it should be renamed to honor U.S. history. The order also instructed the U.S. Interior Secretary to finalize the name change within 30 days of the order.
