Google Maps shows ‘Lake America’ to US users after Trump order

Washington, United States. Google Maps has changed the name displayed for Lake Ontario to “Lake America” for users in the United States, citing President Donald Trump’s executive order. Users in Canada will continue to see “Lake Ontario,” while users elsewhere will see both names.

Google Maps update

Google said in a blog post on Saturday that it updates names to reflect official government sources, including the US Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).

“Since we update Google Maps to reflect name changes in official government sources, which is GNIS for the U.S., people using Maps in the U.S. will see ‘Lake America,’ those in Canada will continue to see ‘Lake Ontario,’ and those outside of the U.S. and Canada will see both names,” the company said.

Trump announced on Thursday that he was renaming the smallest of the five Great Lakes amid an escalating trade dispute with Canada. The dispute has led both countries to impose reciprocal tariffs on billions of dollars in goods.

The executive order affects the GNIS, which sets standards for official US maps. It does not affect Canadian naming conventions or how the lake is referred to elsewhere.

Canadian response

The White House, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office and Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s office did not immediately comment on Google’s decision on Sunday.

Carney rejected the name change on Thursday. New York Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, said that “New York won’t be calling it that,” while Vermont Governor Phil Scott, a Republican, described the decision as “petty and disappointing” on social media.

Ford unveiled a large lakeside sign in Ontario on Saturday reading, “Lake Ontario: Now and Always,” in 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.

Provincial websites reviewed

Ontario minister Stephen Crawford said on Sunday evening that the province was reviewing its websites after “Lake America” appeared on sites including that of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario.

The LCBO, a major global buyer, is not stocking US alcohol because of the trade dispute.

Google Maps made a similar change last year, displaying “Gulf of America” for the Gulf of Mexico after Trump issued an executive order on his first day in office renaming the body of water.