Google Renames Lake Ontario to 'Lake America' for US Users

Google has updated its Maps interface to reflect a recent change in naming for Lake Ontario. The tech giant will now display 'Lake America' instead of 'Lake Ontario' for users in the U.S., as per the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). This decision follows President Donald Trump's executive order last week, instructing the department of the interior to make this change.

According to Google, this update is part of its long-standing policy for bodies of water with names that vary from country to country. The change will be rolled out soon and will depend on users' country location as determined by their device's operating system, SIM, network, and current location. Users in the U.S. should see 'Lake America', while Canadians will continue to see the historically accurate name.

It is worth noting that other mapping services like Apple Maps and MapQuest have not followed suit. When tested from a Canadian address, these services still display Lake Ontario. However, Google's decision has been met with some creative responses from users. For instance, MapQuest created an interface allowing users to enter their own names for the lake, generating a map image or having it create one at random.