Google Maps Renames Lake Ontario to Lake America
Google Maps has started displaying Lake Ontario as 'Lake America' for users in the United States, following an executive order signed by former President Donald Trump. The change is based on Google's policy of using official government sources to determine geographical names, and the U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) has made the switch.
The switch affects only users in the US, while those in Canada will continue to see the lake as 'Lake Ontario'. For all other users worldwide, both names will be displayed with 'Ontario' taking precedence over 'America'.
This is not the first time Google Maps has followed a government order to change the name of a major body of water. Last year, after President Trump signed an order renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, Google Maps implemented a similar solution, using different names based on the user's location.