Google Maps has changed the name of Lake Ontario to "Lake America" for users in the United States, following President Donald Trump's executive order to rename the body of water, Google said in a statement.
Trump announced the lake's renaming on August 27. The decision comes as part of an escalating trade dispute between the United States and Canada, which has seen tariffs on billions of dollars in goods.
The order applies to the U.S. Geographical Names System (GNIS), which sets standards for official U.S. maps. Washington's decision does not affect Canadian rules or the international use of the lake's name.
“As we update Google Maps to reflect name changes in official government sources, such as GNIS in the United States, Maps users in the United States will see “Lake America,” while in Canada the name “Lake Ontario” will remain, and both names will be displayed outside the United States and Canada,” Google said.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had earlier immediately rejected the renaming. New York Governor Katie Hokul said the state would not use the new name. Vermont Governor Phil Scott called Trump’s decision “troubling and disappointing.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled a large sign on the lake’s shore on Saturday, in English and French, that read: “Lake Ontario, Now and Always.”
"President Trump can call it whatever he wants, but I can tell you that the rest of the world will always call it Lake Ontario," Ford said.
Similarly, Google Maps also changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico after Trump renamed it "Gulf of the Americas" by executive order last year.
