Mexico’s president has requested Google to not use Donald Trump’s new identify for the Gulf of Mexico – which he pledged to alter to Gulf of America in one in all his first acts as president.
Earlier this week, Google mentioned it could change the identify of the physique of water on Google Maps as soon as it’s formally up to date within the US Geographic Names System.
Based on Mexico, the US can not legally change the Gulf’s identify as a result of underneath the United Nations Conference on the Regulation of the Sea, a rustic’s sovereign territory solely extends as much as 12 nautical miles from the shoreline.
Studying out her letter to Google at a press convention on Thursday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum mentioned “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.”
Ms Sheinbaum has beforehand joked that she was contemplating renaming the continent of North America to “Mexican America” in her nation.
She mentioned: “We ask that when you put Mexican America in the search engine, the map appears that we presented.”
A founding doc from 1814, which preceded Mexico’s structure, used that identify for the continent.
Beneath the adjustments on Google Maps, American customers would see it on-line because the Gulf of America, whereas Mexican and Cuban customers would see the identify stay the Gulf of Mexico. Worldwide customers would see each names.
On Monday, Google defined the adjustments as a part of “longstanding practice,” and added: “When official names vary between countries, Maps users see their official local name.
“Everybody in the remainder of the world sees each names. That applies right here too.”
