Lake Ontario is now ‘Lake America’ on Google Maps for US users after Trump’s order | Today’s news
Google Maps has begun showing Lake Ontario as Lake America for users in the United States, giving effect to President Donald Trump’s latest geographic renaming amid ongoing tensions between Washington and Ottawa.
Lake Ontario is now Lake America at Trump’s behest
The technology company said the change was implemented in line with its existing practice of following the naming conventions used by the US Geographic Names Information System (GNIC). What is worth noting is that the updated label will not appear the same to all users.
Google in the latest statement: “People using Maps in the US will see ‘Lake America’, those in Canada will continue to see ‘Lake Ontario’ and those outside the US and Canada will see both names.”
The move follows Trump’s decision to rename the lake on Thursday. The announcement was met with skepticism and derision in some parts of Canada and the United States.
It quickly became the source of online jokes and memes, while the dispute added another layer to already strained relations between the two neighboring countries.
Google’s approach reflects its handling of another Trump-backed geographic shift. The company previously updated Google Maps to show the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America to users in the United States after the president ordered the name change.
The Lake Ontario decision comes as trade tensions between Washington and Ottawa continue to shape relations. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney walked out of difficult U.S. trade talks on August 21, calling the proposed arrangement a “bad deal.” He also said it would harm Canada’s economic sovereignty.
Carney also rejected the idea that the lake’s identity could simply be changed at the behest of the US president. In a statement responding to Trump’s announcement, he pointed to the history of the name Ontario, saying it is an aboriginal name that predates both modern Canada and the United States.
Carney’s statement said: “We know America is changing. Their trade relationships, their foreign policy, their national monuments, their hydronyms,” Mr Carney said in a post on Thursday. “Canadians also know that to name reality is to call it Lake Ontario – then, now and always.”
Trump, meanwhile, has openly embraced the renaming. In an AI-generated video he shared online, the president walks toward a sign that says “Lake Ontario,” kicks it down, and replaces it with a new sign that says “Lake America” before breaking into a dance.
The latest Google Maps update means that the two names will now appear based on the user’s location, with US users seeing the new designation and Canadian users keeping Lake Ontario. Users elsewhere will see both names when the company rolls out the changes.
