Google Maps has updated its U.S. display of Lake Ontario to "Lake America," aligning with a recent executive order from President Donald Trump. This alteration reflects the administration's renaming of the Great Lakes body of water as part of an ongoing trade dispute with Canada.
The executive order impacts the U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), which sets standards for official U.S. maps, but it does not affect Canadian naming conventions or international designations.
"Since we update Google Maps to reflect name changes in official government sources, which is GNIS for the US, people using Maps in the US will see ‘Lake America,’ those in Canada will continue to see ‘Lake Ontario,’ and those outside of the US and Canada will see both names," Google stated in a blog post on Saturday. The company made a similar adjustment last year, labeling the Gulf of Mexico as "Gulf of America" after a presidential executive order on Trump's first day in office.
The renaming has drawn criticism from Canadian and U.S. officials. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney immediately rejected the change. New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared, "New York won’t be calling it that," while Vermont Governor Phil Scott characterized the decision as "petty and disappointing."
In response, Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled a sign on Saturday that reads, "Lake Ontario: Now and Always," in both English and French. "President Trump can call it whatever he wants, but I can tell you, the rest of the world will always call it Lake Ontario," Ford said.