Mexico asks Google Maps to not rename Gulf of Mexico

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has written a letter to Google asking the agency to rethink its choice to rename the Gulf of Mexico.

US President Donald Trump signed an govt order requiring the physique of water – which is bordered by the US, Cuba and Mexico – be renamed the Gulf of America in his first week in workplace.

However it’ll solely seem on Google Maps with the brand new identify for individuals primarily based within the US – elsewhere on the earth it’ll retain its present identify, which has been used for a whole lot of years.

There is no such thing as a worldwide organisation liable for the naming of our bodies of water.

However Mexico argues the U.S. can’t legally change the Gulf’s identify as a result of the United Nations Conference on the Regulation of the Sea dictates that a person nation’s sovereign territory solely extends as much as 12 nautical miles out from the shoreline.

“[The name change] might solely correspond to the 12 nautical miles away from the coastlines of the US of America,” Sheinbaum mentioned.

Google has not but responded to the BBC’s request for remark.

However in a press release on social media on Monday it mentioned: “Now we have a longstanding observe of making use of identify modifications once they have been up to date in official authorities sources.”

It is going to additionally rename Mount Denali as Mount McKinley within the US, following one other order from Trump.

“When official names fluctuate between international locations, Maps customers see their official native identify,” it mentioned.

Sheinbaum has criticised Google’s choice, saying the agency mustn’t reply to “the mandate of a rustic” to vary the identify of “a global sea”.

However she appeared to poke enjoyable at Trump’s transfer by joking Mexico could demand Google make some extra renaming selections.

“By the way in which, we’re additionally going to ask for Mexican America to seem on the map,” she mentioned.

Sheinbaum beforehand joked she would take into account renaming North America as “América Mexicana” within the nation.

“He says that he’ll name it the Gulf of America on its continental shelf,” Sheinbaum beforehand mentioned when Trump signed the manager order.

“For us it’s nonetheless the Gulf of Mexico, and for the complete world it’s nonetheless the Gulf of Mexico.”