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54m ago

Google Shows 'Lake America' to U.S. Users After Trump Renames Lake Ontario

The executive order is meant as political signaling in a tariff dispute and exposes how U.S. federal naming rules change domestic records without forcing international or private adoption.

FILE - A sign is displayed on a Google building at their campus in Mountain View, Calif., Sept. 24, 2019. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
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An image from Google shows Lake Ontario renamed as Lake America, at least in the United States, after President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing his administration to rename the body of water sitting between the United States and Canada. Trump's order, which he signed in the Oval Office on Aug. 27, instructs the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to formalize the change within 30 days. As he signed the order, Trump compared the move to his action last year to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America.
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Overview

  • President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday directing the Interior Department to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America” and to update the U.S. Geographic Names Information System for federal use.
  • Google began rolling out the new label for users in the United States on Saturday, saying it follows GNIS entries and that Canadian users will still see “Lake Ontario” while people elsewhere will see both names.
  • Several mapping services have refused or delayed following the U.S. change, with MapQuest publicly declining to rename the lake and Apple Maps showing mixed labels for now.
  • Canadian leaders and Indigenous officials have rejected the renaming, with Prime Minister Mark Carney insisting the body of water will remain Lake Ontario and Ontario Premier Doug Ford installing a large lakeside sign reading “Lake Ontario. Now and Always.”
  • The order affects U.S. federal documents and some private platforms that follow GNIS but cannot compel Canada, international bodies, or many states and firms to adopt the new name, a dynamic that could complicate web services, government communications, and cross-border trade messaging as tariffs escalate.