Mexican president says she sent letter to Google contesting Gulf of Mexico name change

Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum suggests the United States should be called ‘Mexican America’, in response to Trump's proposal to rename the Gulf of Mexico, on Jan. 8. (Alfredo Estrella/AFP/Getty Images via CNN Newsource)

MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum sent a letter to Google contesting the tech giant’s decision to comply with US President Donald Trump’s order to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.

President Sheinbaum showed the letter to reporters Thursday saying, “In the case of Mexico, where are we completely sovereign? In the area established as 12 nautical miles from the coastline, and this applies to all countries worldwide.”

“If a country wants to change the designation of something in the sea, it would only apply up to 12 nautical miles. It cannot apply to the rest, in this case, the Gulf of Mexico. This is what we explained in detail to Google.”

Referring to a previous counterproposal she made to Trump to rename the US, Sheinbaum added, “In the end, we requested that when someone searches for ‘América Mexicana’ in the search engine, the map we previously presented should appear.” That map, from 1607, labeled parts of North America “Mexican America” and was shown during a press conference earlier this month.

On Monday, Google announced that Google Maps users in the US would see the body of water known as the Gulf of Mexico renamed as the Gulf of America. Google said its move was in line with its “practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources.”

Users in Mexico will continue to see the “Gulf of Mexico” on Google Maps. The rest of the world will see both names.

Google will also change the name of Mount McKinley, the nation’s highest peak, from Denali. Former President Barack Obama renamed the Alaska landmark to Denali in 2015 as a nod to the region’s native population.

Both changes stem from an executive action that Trump signed shortly after taking office last week, saying the changes “honor American greatness.”

“It is in the national interest to promote the extraordinary heritage of our Nation and ensure future generations of American citizens celebrate the legacy of our American heroes,” the executive order said.

Karol Suarez and Sophie Tanno, CNN