Google Maps to show ‘Lake Ontario’ in Canada, ‘Lake America’ in U.S. Here’s why

Google has entered a debate over Lake Ontario's name following President Donald Trump's executive order renaming it "Lake America." The company stated that Google Maps updates reflect name changes from official government sources, including the U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). As a result, users in the U.S. will now see "Lake America" while those in Canada will continue to see Lake Ontario.

Those outside Canada and the U.S. will see both names, with Lake Ontario listed but Lake America in parentheses. University of Victoria geography professor Reuben Rose-Redwood noted that Google, like Apple and Microsoft, generally follows official federal names for geographic places. The name change is seen as a political move, with Rose-Redwood expressing surprise that it will likely not last beyond Trump's presidency.

This follows a series of name changes by Trump, including the Gulf of Mexico, which was renamed "Gulf of America."