Google changes Lake Ontario to Lake of America for Google Maps users in the U.S.
Tech giant says move follows 'long-standing policy for bodies of water with names that vary from country to country'
Google Maps has changed the name of Lake Ontario to "Lake America" for users in the US. This change reflects an executive order by President Donald Trump, which affects the US Geographic Names Information System. The renaming is part of an escalating trade feud between the US and Canada.
The change only affects users in the US, while those in Canada will continue to see the lake referred to as "Lake Ontario". People outside of the US and Canada will see both names. According to Google, they update their maps to reflect name changes in official government sources, which is the US Geographic Names Information System for the US.
Canadian officials, including Prime Minister Justin Ford, have expressed outrage over the name change, although the White House and other offices did not immediately comment on Google's decision. The renaming of Lake Ontario is not the first time Trump has caused a name change, as he also renamed the Gulf of Mexico to "Gulf of America" last year.
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- Google Maps renames Lake Ontario ‘Lake America’ in US punchng.com
- Lake Ontario Turns To 'Lake America' On Google Maps In US, But Not In Canada ndtv.com
- Google Maps Now Displays ‘Lake America’ After Trump’s Executive Order Amid U.S.-Canada Trade War forbes.com
- Google Maps changes Lake Ontario to Lake America for U.S. users torontosun.com