The latest development in the trade war Trump started with Canada is an executive order to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America. Google Maps has updated the name, though what you see depends on which country you are in, with only US users seeing Lake America. Apple Maps has so far stuck to the real name …
Lake Ontario is this year’s rerun of the Gulf of Mexico. Trump last year signed an executive order stating that the latter would be renamed to Gulf of America, and has now signed another saying that the smallest of the Great Lakes will be renamed Lake America.
Canada and most of the rest of the world has responded with amusement and mockery. Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled a new billboard on the shoreline of the lake reading “Lake Ontario. Now and always.”
Google Maps has updated its naming, with the label depending on where you are based:
- US users: Lake America
- Canadian users: Lake Ontario
- Rest of the world: Lake Ontario (Lake America)
This mirrors the approach the company took with the Gulf of Mexico. Associated Press cites a Google blog post stating that its policy is to use the names assigned by the U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
So far, however, Apple Maps has stuck to Lake Ontario, including for US users. Whether it too will compromise as it did for the Gulf of Mexico remains to be seen. The company normally tries to avoid political flak, and has often taken the decision to appease the Trump administration, but with a new CEO, this may or may not change.
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