Google Maps changes Lake Ontario to ‘Lake America’ in US searches

Searches for Lake Ontario on Google Maps have been altered in the United States, no longer showing the lake by its original name as of this weekend. Instead, users in the country will now see it referred to as "Lake America," following President Donald Trump's executive order mandating the change. This alteration is a direct result of the administration's response to the ongoing trade war with Canada.

Google Maps updates its entries based on changes from official government sources, such as the U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), and this reflects the new name change. Those in Canada will continue to see the lake as "Lake Ontario." The company also noted that users outside of the US and Canada will see both names, with "Lake America" in parentheses after "Lake Ontario."

The change was promptly celebrated by Trump administration officials on social media, with White House Communications Director Steven Chueng announcing, "It's official! LAKE AMERICA on Google Maps." Trump himself shared a link to an article about the change. Despite the change, the boundary waters treaty between the US and Canada maintains shared control over Lake Ontario.

While Trump has the authority to change how the U.S. government refers to geographic landmarks, other countries are not obligated to follow suit. Ontario Premier Doug Ford defiantly unveiled a sign in Canada asserting that the lake will always be known as "Lake Ontario" and posted a video on social media expressing his stance. Trump's previous geographic rebranding includes changing "Gulf of Mexico" to "Gulf of America" on his first day in office.

However, alternatives to Google Maps, such as Waze and Apple Maps, still label the lake as "Lake Ontario" as of Sunday afternoon. MapQuest also informed its users that they would not be making any changes.