The Mexican government has officially filed a lawsuit against Google over changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to "Gulf of the Americas" for users in the United States. The country's President Claudia Sheinbaum noted that the company ignored repeated requests to return the historical name, writes The Verge.
The change appeared on Google Maps after Donald Trump signed an executive order renaming the gulf at the start of his presidency. While the name remained the same for Mexican users, in the US and some other regions the service began showing the inscription "Gulf of America" or "Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America)".
Mexican authorities say the United States has no right to rename international geographical features.
"We couldn’t say anything about changing the name of a state, a mountain, or a lake. So, the part of their territory that corresponds to them can be called whatever they decide. The part that corresponds to Mexico can’t be renamed. The part that corresponds to Cuba can’t be renamed, either. So, what we’re saying is, "Google, stick to what the United States government approved," Sheinbaum emphasized.
Before filing the lawsuit, Mexico sent official letters to Google asking them not to use the new name. In response, the company's vice president of government affairs, Chris Turner, said that Google has no plans to change its policy.
On May 9, 2025, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill formalizing the name "Gulf of America." The Trump administration had previously even banned the Associated Press from White House briefings for refusing to use the new name.
Unlike Google and Apple, which supported the initiative, MapQuest openly ridiculed the renaming, creating a special website dedicated to the absurdity of this change.
Mexico insists that the true name—the Gulf of Mexico—should be preserved internationally.