Google Maps Now Shows ‘Lake America’ Instead of Lake Ontario
After Donald Trump’s executive order demanding the name change, Google is the first major online maps provider to flip the switch.
The Great Lakes of North America have undergone a name change, with Lake Ontario now known as "Lake America" on Google Maps. This alteration came about after President Donald Trump issued an executive order earlier this year to rebrand bodies of water in official government databases, stirring a public debate in open-source mapping communities.
The change was initially adopted by major map providers such as Google, Apple, and Microsoft, following updates in government record databases used to determine map names. However, it appears that Apple Maps and Bing Maps may take some time to reflect the new name, as they were not yet updated as of recent reports. Google Maps informed users that people in the US will see "Lake America," while those in Canada will continue to see "Lake Ontario," and those outside of the US and Canada will see both names.
The debate over map names continues, with some organizations like MapQuest refusing to change their maps in response to Trump's order.
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