Google Maps has changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico, to the Gulf of America, after Donald Trump passed an executive order renaming the body of water in the eyes of the US.
The US-based company previously said it would change the name of the oceanic basin once it was updated in the US Geographic Names System (USGS).
Mexico asked Google not to do so, claiming the US had no legal right to change the Gulf’s name under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
This says that a country’s territorial sea – which falls under the jurisdiction of a state – only extends up to 12 nautical miles (22km) from its coastline.
The rest of the Gulf is shared under conditions between the US, Mexico, and Cuba.
Follow live: Trump latest
For users of Google in the US, if they now scroll over the Gulf, they will find it renamed the Gulf of America.
Users elsewhere, for example in the UK, are met with the Gulf carrying both names: “Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America)”.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Whereas, users in Mexico will still see the water body called the Gulf of Mexico.
It was one of the very first orders signed by the president to rename the Gulf, and then on 9 February, while flying over it, he signed a second order declaring the first-ever Gulf of America Day.
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
“In the US, the Geographic Names Information System has officially updated ‘Gulf of Mexico’ to ‘Gulf of America’,” Google said in a statement.
“As we announced two weeks ago and consistent with our longstanding practices, we’ve begun rolling out changes to reflect this update,” Google said in a statement.
Celebrating the renaming, Mr Trump took to Truth Social to post an image of the Gulf of America, saying: “GULF OF AMERICA!”
Follow our channel and never miss an update
‘It cannot apply’
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum previously told reporters at the end of last month that: “If a country wants to change the designation of something in the sea, it would only apply up to 12 nautical miles,” CNN reported.
“It cannot apply to the rest, in this case, the Gulf of Mexico,” she added.
Ms Sheinbaum also previously joked that she was considering renaming the continent of North America “Mexican America” in her country.
Read more:
Trump issues ceasefire ultimatum to Hamas
US levies 25% tariffs on steel and aluminium imports
Trump halts ‘wasteful’ penny production
👉 Follow Trump 100 on your podcast app 👈
She said: “We ask that when you put Mexican America in the search engine, the map appears that we presented.”
A founding document from 1814, which preceded Mexico’s constitution, used that name for the continent.
