Google Maps Renames Lake Ontario as 'Lake America' Amid US-Canada Trade War

Google Maps has renamed Lake Ontario as 'Lake America' in response to an order by the US Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), a US government agency, amidst escalating trade tensions between the US and Canada.

The change only affects users in the United States, with Canadians still seeing the lake as Lake Ontario. People outside of both countries will see both names.

US President Donald Trump had threatened to rename the lake as part of a retaliatory measure against Canada, which has been a target of his trade wars. Earlier this month, he imposed 50 percent tariffs on some Canadian products after the two countries failed to reach a trade agreement.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney invoked the Indigenous roots of the name Ontario, stating that it predates both the Confederation of Canada and the Declaration of Independence of the United States. He also emphasized that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario, then, now, and always.