The article text:
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has taken a firm stance against Google’s recent decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico. In a letter to the tech giant, she urged a reversal of the controversial naming initiative, which is a response to a directive from U.S. President Donald Trump. The executive order, signed in Trump’s initial week in office, mandated that the Gulf of Mexico be referred to as the Gulf of America.
Importantly, this name change will only impact users in the United States; international maps will continue to feature the Gulf’s long-standing name, “Gulf of Mexico,” which has been recognized for centuries. The complexities surrounding the naming of bodies of water are underscored by the fact that no global authority exists to oversee such decisions.
President Sheinbaum argues that the U.S. Department cannot legally alter the name, supported by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The convention specifies that a country’s jurisdiction only extends to 12 nautical miles off its coast. "The name change could only correspond to the 12 nautical miles away from the coastlines of the United States of America," Sheinbaum noted, reinforcing her position.
Although Google has yet to comment specifically on this issue, the company highlighted its practice of updating names in accordance with official governmental sources. It acknowledged that any changes will reflect national distinctions, which holds true for other geographical features as well, such as the renaming of Mount Denali to Mount McKinley in the U.S.
Sheinbaum has publicly criticized the direction from the Trump administration, arguing that Google's decision shouldn't yield to a single nation’s command regarding such an internationally shared body of water. With a playful touch, she quipped about Mexico’s hypothetical demand for a new name to denote “Mexican America” on the map. She had previously suggested that North America could be referred to as “América Mexicana” instead.
The discourse raises essential questions about the implications of national identity in the context of shared geography and how these issues are navigated in contemporary geopolitics. Sheinbaum’s comments have sparked a dialogue about the significance and recognition of historical names, driving home the point that for Mexico, the Gulf remains firmly the Gulf of Mexico, despite the efforts to rebrand it.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has taken a firm stance against Google’s recent decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico. In a letter to the tech giant, she urged a reversal of the controversial naming initiative, which is a response to a directive from U.S. President Donald Trump. The executive order, signed in Trump’s initial week in office, mandated that the Gulf of Mexico be referred to as the Gulf of America.
Importantly, this name change will only impact users in the United States; international maps will continue to feature the Gulf’s long-standing name, “Gulf of Mexico,” which has been recognized for centuries. The complexities surrounding the naming of bodies of water are underscored by the fact that no global authority exists to oversee such decisions.
President Sheinbaum argues that the U.S. Department cannot legally alter the name, supported by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The convention specifies that a country’s jurisdiction only extends to 12 nautical miles off its coast. "The name change could only correspond to the 12 nautical miles away from the coastlines of the United States of America," Sheinbaum noted, reinforcing her position.
Although Google has yet to comment specifically on this issue, the company highlighted its practice of updating names in accordance with official governmental sources. It acknowledged that any changes will reflect national distinctions, which holds true for other geographical features as well, such as the renaming of Mount Denali to Mount McKinley in the U.S.
Sheinbaum has publicly criticized the direction from the Trump administration, arguing that Google's decision shouldn't yield to a single nation’s command regarding such an internationally shared body of water. With a playful touch, she quipped about Mexico’s hypothetical demand for a new name to denote “Mexican America” on the map. She had previously suggested that North America could be referred to as “América Mexicana” instead.
The discourse raises essential questions about the implications of national identity in the context of shared geography and how these issues are navigated in contemporary geopolitics. Sheinbaum’s comments have sparked a dialogue about the significance and recognition of historical names, driving home the point that for Mexico, the Gulf remains firmly the Gulf of Mexico, despite the efforts to rebrand it.
