President Claudia Sheinbaum, President of Mexico, is heated of the recent change of name of the Gulf of Mexico in Google Maps. Google maps changed the name appearing on the popular mobile map app following a declaration from President Donald Trump, renaming the body of water the ‘Gulf of America’. In the United States, the body of water appears as ‘Gulf of America’, but in Mexico as ‘Gulf of Mexico’. Globally, however, it is labeled as ‘Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America)’. Cris Turner, Google’s vice president of government affairs and public policy, said, in response to Sheinbaum, the company was using Gulf of America to follow “longstanding maps policies impartially and consistently across all regions”. The company is willing to meet with Mexican Government.
Mexico argues the declaration of Trump directly violates Mexican Sovereignty, since the United States only has jurisdiction over 46% of the Gulf. This leaves Mexico in the majority, controlling 49% of the waters (the other 5% is Cuban). The name ‘The Gulf of Mexico’ dates all the way back to 1607 and is recognized by the United States. As a subtle reminder, Jamestown was founded in 1607. Before the United States had even declared independence from England, before democracy was even on the table, the gulf was the Gulf of Mexico. The United States doesn’t even manage the Majority of the gulf… leaving Trump’s declaration to be a quiet illogical act, or rather a sign of his hunger for power.
On an individual level of analysis, it is clear that Google is simply following the laws in which the MNC is headquartered. Thus, it is hard to put the blame on google. The change in name is due to Donald Trump, yet Google is perhaps the only way in which Mexico can get to the United States for the name change. Perhaps Sheinbaum, if this goes to trial, could get the name that is displayed worldwide changed. Since the United States is the only country to recognize the gulf as ‘the Gulf of America’ then perhaps the parentheses following the ‘Gulf of Mexico’ will be removed.