Mexico Sues Google Over ‘Gulf of America’ Map Label

A diplomatic and legal dispute has erupted between Mexico and Google after the tech giant began labeling the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” for U.S. users on its popular maps service.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced that her government is suing Google, accusing the company of disregarding repeated requests to refrain from the controversial name change.

The lawsuit’s jurisdiction remains unclear, as Sheinbaum did not specify where the case was filed. Google has yet to respond publicly to the allegations or to media inquiries about the lawsuit.

The controversy intensified after the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives voted last week to officially rename the body of water for federal agencies.

The move follows an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on his first day in office in January, which directed U.S. government entities to refer to the gulf as the “Gulf of America.” Trump justified the change by claiming, “the US do most of the work there, and it’s ours.”

Mexico, however, strongly disputes Washington’s authority to unilaterally rename the entire gulf, which is bordered by the United States, Mexico, and Cuba. “All we want is for the decree issued by the US government to be complied with,” Sheinbaum said, emphasizing that Trump’s order should apply only to the U.S. section of the continental shelf.

Sheinbaum had previously written to Google in January, urging the company to reconsider the renaming, and threatened legal action in February when the company did not comply.

Google has defended its decision, citing a longstanding policy of adapting map labels to reflect changes made by official government sources.

The company clarified that for users in Mexico, the body of water would retain its traditional name, while users in other regions would see the label “Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America).”

The dispute has also drawn in the media. The Associated Press (AP) refused to adopt the new name, leading to a months-long standoff with the White House, which responded by restricting the news agency’s access to certain events.

A federal judge intervened in April, ordering the White House to cease its exclusion of AP reporters.

The naming row comes amid broader tensions over geographic nomenclature. President Trump recently hinted at plans to recommend that the U.S. government refer to the Persian Gulf as the “Arabian Gulf” or “Gulf of Arabia” during an upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia.

The suggestion has already provoked a sharp response from Iranian officials, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi dismissing the idea as “absurd” and warning it would “bring the wrath of all Iranians.”