{
  "id": 4561722,
  "title": "Google Maps changes Lake Ontario to ‘Lake America’ in US searches",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/google-maps-changes-lake-ontario-to-lake-america-in-us-searches",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-31T03:16:09.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "KahawaTungu",
    "slug": "kahawatungu",
    "url": "https://kahawatungu.com/google-maps-changes-lake-ontario-to-lake-america-in-us-searches/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "U.S. residents searching for Lake Ontario on Google Maps will now encounter the name \"Lake America\" as of this weekend, following President Donald Trump's executive order on Thursday. The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) of the United States formally changed the lake's name to \"Lake America,\" according to Google. When users in the U.S. access Google Maps, they will see \"Lake America,\" while those in Canada will continue to see \"Lake Ontario.\" The company noted that users outside of the U.S. and Canada will see both names, with \"Lake America\" appearing in parentheses after \"Lake Ontario.\" This change comes after Trump's administration celebrated the modification on social media, with White House Communications Director Steven Chueng writing, \"It's official! LAKE AMERICA on Google Maps.\" Trump also posted a link to an article about the change. Lake Ontario is shared between Canada and the United States under the Boundary Waters Treaty, which was established in the early 20th century to resolve disputes over the shared waters. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has stated that his country will always refer to the lake as \"Lake Ontario.\" Ontario Premier Doug Ford emphasized the lake's Canadian heritage by unveiling a sign with \"Lake Ontario\" in large letters, followed by \"Now and Always,\" and posted a video about it on social media. Trump's executive order marks his latest attempt to rebrand geographic locations, as he previously changed \"Gulf of Mexico\" to \"Gulf of America\" on his first day in office. Other map services, such as Waze and Apple Maps, still display the lake as \"Lake Ontario\" as of Sunday afternoon.",
  "summary": "Anyone in the United States searching for Lake Ontario on Google Maps can no longer find it as of this weekend. Users in the country will now see the smallest of the Great Lakes identified as “Lake America” on that site, following President Donald Trump’s executive order on Thursday mandating the change in how the [...] The post Google Maps changes Lake Ontario to ‘Lake America’ in US searches…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 10,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "PBS NewsHour",
        "title": "Ontario premier answers Trump's 'Lake America' with giant 'Lake Ontario' sign",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/30/ontario-premier-answers-trumps-lake-america-with-giant-lake-ontario",
        "published": "2026-08-30T15:37:07.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Al Jazeera",
        "title": "Google Maps renames Lake Ontario after Trump’s decree on ‘Lake America’",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/30/google-maps-renames-lake-ontario-after-trumps-decree-on-lake-america",
        "published": "2026-08-30T16:57:21.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "National Post",
        "title": "Trump renaming Lake Ontario ‘like something out of Saturday Night Live,’ says Ford",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/30/trump-renaming-lake-ontario-like-something-out-of-saturday-night-live",
        "published": "2026-08-30T17:29:45.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "Lake Ontario now called Lake America on Google Maps for US users after Trump ordered name change",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/30/lake-ontario-now-called-lake-america-on-google-maps-for-us-users",
        "published": "2026-08-30T22:01:34.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Global News",
        "title": "Some Ontario government, business websites show ‘Lake America’ on maps",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/30/some-ontario-government-business-websites-show-lake-america-on-maps",
        "published": "2026-08-30T22:19:49.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Associated Press",
        "title": "Lake Ontario now called Lake America on Google Maps for US users after Trump ordered name change",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/30/lake-ontario-now-called-lake-america-on-google-maps-for-us-users-4517789",
        "published": "2026-08-30T22:23:02.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "South China Morning Post",
        "title": "Lake Ontario now called ‘Lake America’ on Google Maps for US users after Trump order",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/30/lake-ontario-now-called-lake-america-on-google-maps-for-us-users-4516274",
        "published": "2026-08-30T22:34:36.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Mainichi",
        "title": "Lake Ontario now called Lake America on Google Maps for US users after Trump ordered name change",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/30/lake-ontario-now-called-lake-america-on-google-maps-for-us-users-4523955",
        "published": "2026-08-30T23:30:06.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "ABC News AU",
        "title": "Google changes US maps to Lake America from Lake Ontario",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/google-changes-us-maps-to-lake-america-from-lake-ontario",
        "published": "2026-08-31T03:46:24.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}