Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has written a letter to Google asking the agency to rethink its choice to rename the Gulf of Mexico.
US President Donald Trump signed an government order requiring the physique of water – which is bordered by the US, Cuba and Mexico – be renamed the Gulf of America in his first week in workplace.
However it is going to solely seem on Google Maps with the brand new title for folks primarily based within the US – elsewhere on the planet it is going to retain its present title, which has been used for a whole lot of years.
There is no such thing as a worldwide organisation liable for the naming of our bodies of water.
However Mexico argues the U.S. can’t legally change the Gulf’s title as a result of the United Nations Conference on the Regulation of the Sea dictates that a person nation’s sovereign territory solely extends as much as 12 nautical miles out from the shoreline.
“[The name change] may solely correspond to the 12 nautical miles away from the coastlines of america of America,” Sheinbaum mentioned.
Google has not but responded to the BBC’s request for remark.
However in an announcement on social media on Monday it mentioned: “We have now a longstanding observe of making use of title adjustments after they have been up to date in official authorities sources.”
It is going to additionally rename Mount Denali as Mount McKinley within the US, following one other order from Trump.
“When official names differ between nations, Maps customers see their official native title,” it mentioned.
Sheinbaum has criticised Google’s choice, saying the agency mustn’t reply to “the mandate of a rustic” to alter the title of “a world sea”.
However she appeared to poke enjoyable at Trump’s transfer by joking Mexico might demand Google make some further renaming choices.
“By the way in which, we’re additionally going to ask for Mexican America to look on the map,” she mentioned.
Sheinbaum beforehand joked she would think about renaming North America as “América Mexicana” within the nation.
“He says that he’ll name it the Gulf of America on its continental shelf,” Sheinbaum beforehand mentioned when Trump signed the manager order.
“For us it’s nonetheless the Gulf of Mexico, and for the whole world it’s nonetheless the Gulf of Mexico.”
