Geographical names have long been a source of political and cultural debate.
Borders shift, historical claims resurface, and governments often seek to reinforce national identity through place names.
The latest dispute comes from Mexico, where President Claudia Sheinbaum is pushing back against a recent name change on Google Maps.
Will Change Name
Sheinbaum revealed that she has sent a formal letter to Google objecting to its decision to comply with an order from U.S. President Donald Trump to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America."
Speaking to journalists, she stated that Mexico’s sovereignty extends 12 nautical miles from its coast and that any name change should not apply beyond that limit.
"If a country wants to rename a body of water, it only applies within its territorial waters. It cannot extend to the rest of the Gulf of Mexico. This is what we explained in detail to Google," Sheinbaum said, according to Digi24.
As part of her response, Sheinbaum referenced an earlier counterproposal she made to Trump, suggesting that Google recognize historical maps labeling parts of North America as "America Mexicana."
She has requested that when users search for that term, a 1607 map depicting the region under this name appears in search results.
Google has stated that the name change follows its policy of updating place names based on official government sources.
The company confirmed that Google Maps users in the U.S. will see the body of water labeled as the "Gulf of America," while users in Mexico will continue to see "Gulf of Mexico."
In other countries, both names will appear.
