Apple Maps has updated the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America online, aligning with President Donald Trump’s executive order. Following Alphabet’s adjustment on Google Maps for U.S. users last Saturday, Apple made the change on Tuesday. U.S. users will now see “Lake America” due to the modification in the U.S. Geographic Names Information System, prompted by direct communication from Trump to Apple. Meanwhile, Canadian users will maintain the name Lake Ontario, and worldwide users will see both names, similar to the handling of the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America renaming.
Google’s alteration led to some confusion in Canada, with certain entities briefly displaying the Lake America name on their websites. The situation underscores how U.S. tech firms are entangled in geopolitical matters, responding to executive orders that international bodies and allies oppose. Trump’s order only affects U.S. federal usage, allowing Canada, international bodies, and other entities to continue using the traditional Lake Ontario name.
A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll revealed that a majority of Americans oppose Trump’s decisions to increase taxes on Canadian imports and rename Lake Ontario. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and New York Governor Kathy Hochul have declared they will not adopt the new name, emphasizing the lake’s longstanding historical significance. New York shares a border with the lake on the U.S. side, with about 52% of the lake’s surface area located in Canada.
Trump’s efforts to provoke Canada, including suggesting it become the 51st U.S. state, have been dismissed by Canadian leaders as absurd. His previous renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America in January 2025 prompted Google and Apple to update their map applications for U.S. users.
