31-08-2026
Google has updated its Maps application for users in the United States to display “Lake America” instead of “Lake Ontario,” following an executive order by US President Donald Trump. The order was issued the previous week and comes amid an escalating trade dispute between the United States and Canada, with both countries imposing billions of dollars in tariffs on each other’s goods.
Google said the change reflects its long-standing practice of using names listed by the US Geographic Names Information System. Under the update, users in the US will see “Lake America,” users in Canada will continue to see “Lake Ontario,” and users elsewhere will see both names. The lake is bordered by Ontario, Canada, to the north and New York state to the south.
The move has not been adopted universally. MapQuest has refused to rename the lake and has introduced a feature allowing users to assign their own name. Canadian officials, Indigenous leaders and politicians have criticized Trump’s decision, with some describing it as an attempt to erase Canadian and Indigenous history. The Chiefs of Ontario said the name Ontario derives from a Mohawk term meaning “beautiful lake” or “sparkling water.” Grand Chief Pierre Picard of the Wendat Nation condemned the renaming in particularly strong terms.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford responded by unveiling a bilingual billboard on the Canadian shore stating, “Lake Ontario. Now and always.” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney rejected the executive order, while New York Governor Kathy Hochul said her state would not use the new name. Vermont Governor Phil Scott called the decision “petty and disappointing.”
Ontario is also reviewing government websites after some began displaying “Lake America” through Google Maps data. The article notes that the White House and the offices of Carney and Ford had not immediately commented on Google’s decision.
Entities: Google Maps, Donald Trump, Lake Ontario, Lake America, United States • Tone: analytical • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
31-08-2026
Google Maps has begun displaying “Lake America” instead of “Lake Ontario” for users in the United States, following President Donald Trump’s order to rename the lake and the corresponding update to the U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). Google said its maps reflect official government sources and that naming differences are handled according to the country where the user is located. U.S. users will see “Lake America,” Canadian users will continue to see “Lake Ontario,” and users elsewhere will see both names.
The move follows Google’s earlier decision to use “Gulf of America” for the Gulf of Mexico in the United States, a change that prompted Mexico to sue the company. Lake Ontario’s original name derives from the Indigenous Wendat word “Ontari’io,” meaning “big, beautiful lake.” The name was later adopted by the Canadian province of Ontario.
The renaming comes amid an ongoing trade dispute between the United States and Canada. Negotiations between the two countries broke down after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney objected to what he described as unfair last-minute changes, including U.S. objections to French product-labeling rules and Quebec’s French-language streaming requirements.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford rejected the new designation, unveiling a bilingual sign on the lake’s shore that reads “Lake Ontario: Now and always.” He said that while Trump could use any name he wished, the rest of the world would continue to call it Lake Ontario.
Despite Canada’s position, “Lake America” appeared on some Canadian government websites that automatically draw map data from Google Maps. Ontario Public Services Minister Stephen Crawford said the province was reviewing its websites to ensure they identified the lake by its “correct name: Lake Ontario.”
Entities: Google Maps, Lake Ontario, Lake America, Donald Trump, U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) • Tone: analytical • Sentiment: neutral • Intent: inform
31-08-2026
Google has begun updating Google Maps for users in the United States to display Lake Ontario as “Lake America,” following an executive order issued by US President Donald Trump. The change reflects a US government decision to rename the lake and mirrors Google’s 2025 handling of Trump’s order to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.
The mapping company said the update follows its established policy for bodies of water whose names differ between countries. Users in the United States will see “Lake America,” while users in Canada will continue to see “Lake Ontario.” People viewing the map from countries outside the United States and Canada will see both names. Google said the location-based changes were beginning to roll out after the US Geographic Names Information System, or GNIS, assigned the new US designation.
Trump’s order comes amid worsening relations between the United States and Canada, including a trade war in which both countries have imposed billions of dollars in additional tariffs on each other’s goods. The renaming decision has drawn mockery and indifference in both countries rather than broad acceptance.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford publicly rejected the change by placing a billboard-sized message on the Canadian shoreline reading, “Lake Ontario. Now and forever.” The White House, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office and Ford’s office had not immediately responded to requests for comment on Google’s decision. The article presents the mapping update as a technical implementation of a politically contentious renaming order, while highlighting its symbolic importance in the broader US-Canada dispute.
Entities: Google Maps, Lake Ontario, Lake America, Donald Trump, United States • Tone: neutral • Sentiment: neutral • Intent: inform
