Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has written a letter to Google requesting them to reconsider changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. The United States, under President Donald Trump, issued an executive order to rename the body of water, but Mexico argues that only the U.S. territory up to 12 nautical miles from the coastlines can be renamed.
Google has stated that they follow official government sources for name changes, which is why they will only display the new name for users in the U.S. The rest of the world will still see it as the Gulf of Mexico. Sheinbaum criticized Google’s decision, believing that an international body of water should not be renamed based on the mandate of a single country.
Sheinbaum even joked about potentially asking Google to rename Mexican America on the map. She previously teased about renaming North America as “América Mexicana.” Despite Trump’s executive order, Mexico and the rest of the world continue to refer to the body of water as the Gulf of Mexico.
Google has not yet responded to the Mexican President’s request for reconsideration.
Vocabulary List:
- Reconsider /ˌriː.kənˈsɪd.ər/ (verb): To think again about a decision or opinion in light of new information.
- Territory /ˈter.ɪ.tɔː.ri/ (noun): An area of land under the jurisdiction of a particular government or authority.
- Executive /ɪɡˈzek.jə.tɪv/ (adjective): Having the power to put plans actions or laws into effect.
- International /ˌɪn.təˈnæʃ.ən.əl/ (adjective): Relating to or involving two or more countries.
- Criticized /ˈkrɪt.ɪ.saɪzd/ (verb): Expressed disapproval of someone or something.
- Displayed /dɪˈspleɪd/ (verb): Showed or exhibited something for others to see.
