Google Maps Falls In Line With Trump's Controversial 'Lake America' Name Change

Google Maps has updated its labeling of Lake Ontario in response to an executive order signed by US President Donald Trump renaming the Great Lake 'Lake America' within the United States.

The change will only be visible to users in the US, where they will see 'Lake America', while those in Canada will continue to see 'Lake Ontario'. Users elsewhere will see 'Lake Ontario' with 'Lake America' listed in parentheses.

This move follows an update to the US Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), which dictates how geographic features are labeled on government maps and databases. Google stated that it was simply following its long-standing policy for bodies of water with names that vary from country to country.

The name change comes after Trump signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario in response to the collapse of Canada-US trade negotiations, although he denied that this was a gesture aimed at Canada. However, Canadian officials have rejected the new name, with Ontario Premier Doug Ford stating that 'the rest of the world will always call it Lake Ontario'. Meanwhile, other mapping services such as Apple Maps and MapQuest have not adopted the change.