Google Maps Reflects Trump's 'Lake America' Executive Order

Google Maps has updated its platform to reflect President Donald Trump's executive order renaming Lake Ontario 'Lake America'. The change affects users in the U.S., who will now see 'Lake America' on Google Maps, while those in Canada will continue to see 'Lake Ontario'. Those using maps outside of North America may see both names listed.

According to Google, this update is in line with its policy for bodies of water that have different names in different countries. The company relies on official government sources, such as the U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), which recently changed Lake Ontario's name to 'Lake America'.

University of Victoria geography professor Reuben Rose-Redwood notes that this is not an isolated incident. He points out that Google, Apple, and Microsoft have a history of following official federal names for geographic places, including the Falkland Islands and even the city of Victoria, B.C., which was originally known as Camosack.

Rose-Redwood also comments on the political nature of place-naming, stating that it 'is not a neutral practice; it's inherently political in terms of the values and assertions of authority to name and to map that we find today.'