Trump pushes Apple to change 'Lake Ontario' to 'Lake America' on its maps

President Donald Trump has requested tech giant Apple to alter the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America on Apple's Maps platform, following his executive order to rename the Great Lake, according to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. The order instructs Burgum to implement the necessary changes, including updating the Geographic Names Information System, the official US government map database.

Apple has complied with the order, and Google has also updated its US-based maps to reflect the new name. However, users in Canada will still see the lake as Lake Ontario. The renaming has faced criticism in Canada, with Hydro One, a Toronto-based utility company, apologizing for a map displaying the Lake America name due to its reliance on a third-party mapping service. Other Ontario-based agencies, including Hydro Ottawa and the Liquor Board of Ontario, also briefly displayed the name Lake America on their maps.

The renaming of Lake Ontario to Lake America is part of a broader effort by Trump to alter the names of several Great Lakes, with the objective of changing the names of all five lakes. The executive order also seeks to rename Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Michigan to Lake America. This move has sparked controversy, with some arguing that the names have indigenous origins and should not be changed.