Google Maps Reflects Name Change for Lake Ontario

Google Maps has made significant changes to its mapping data in response to an executive order issued by U.S. President Donald Trump last week. The company updated the name of 'Lake Ontario' to 'Lake America', following a change in the U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). This means that Google Maps users in the U.S. will now see the name 'Lake America' instead of 'Lake Ontario' for the Great Lake straddling the New York, Ontario border.

However, it's worth noting that Apple Maps has yet to follow suit and still shows the 'Lake Ontario' name worldwide. When the GNIS updated the name for 'Gulf of Mexico' to 'Gulf of America' last year, Apple Maps began rolling out the change one day after Google Maps.

For now, users in Canada will continue to see the 'Lake Ontario' name on both Google and Apple Maps, while those outside of the U.S. and Canada will see both names on Google Maps but only 'Lake Ontario' on Apple Maps.