Topline<\/p>\n
Google Maps users in the United States will now see the name \u201cLake America\u201d instead of \u201cLake Ontario,\u201d the company said on Saturday, two days after President Donald Trump signed an executive order renaming the body of water amid an ongoing trade war with Canada.<\/p>\n
The change will only take place for users in the U.S., while Canadians will still see the lake labeled \u201cLake Ontario.\u201d<\/p>\n
Getty ImagesKey Facts<\/p>\n
In a blog post<\/a> published on Saturday, Google announced the upcoming name change, noting it pulls the names for geographical features from official government sources\u2014in this case, the U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).<\/p>\n The display name \u201cLake America\u201d can now be seen by users in the United States, but Google Maps users in Canada will still see \u201cLake Ontario,\u201d while users outside both countries will be shown both names.<\/p>\n Trump made the name change in an executive order signed<\/a> on Thursday, which instructed the Secretary of the Interior to implement the change within the next 30 days.<\/p>\n Interior Secretary Doug Burgum signed an order<\/a> the same day instructing the Board on Geographic Names to update the GNIS with the new name, insisting the lake is \u201can integral asset to America, as a critical artery for America\u2019s early trade and commerce, and as a vital economic resource for America.\u201d<\/p>\n Contra<\/p>\n \u201cThe name [Lake Ontario] is more than 400 years old, predating both the Confederation of Canada and the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America,\u201d Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a post on social media<\/a> shortly after Trump\u2019s renaming. \u201cCanadians also know that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario \u2013 then, now and always,\u201d he said. Ontario Premier Doug Ford responded by erecting<\/a> a 24-by-12-foot bilingual sign in Grimsby, Ontario on Saturday with the Canadian name for the lake. \u201cLong before President Trump, this lake was called Lake Ontario,\u201d Ford said in an announcement video<\/a>, adding \u201clong after President Trump is gone, it will still be called Lake Ontario. <\/p>\n Tangent<\/p>\n Google has previously changed names<\/a> on Google Maps to reflect Trump\u2019s other efforts to rename geographical features. It now labels the tallest mountain in North America as \u201cMount McKinley\u201d instead of Denali, its frequently used Alaskan native name. Former President Barack Obama officially renamed the mountain \u201cDenali\u201d in 2015, but Trump signed an executive order changing it back to \u201cMount McKinley\u201d on his first day in office for his second term in January 2025. The surrounding national park is still officially referred to as \u201cDenali National Park\u201d by the National Park Service. Trump signed another executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the \u201cGulf of America\u201d the same day, and Google made a similar change that same month. Now, users in the U.S. see \u201cGulf of America,\u201d while users in Mexico see \u201cGulf of Mexico\u201d and users outside both countries see both names. Google said this was compliant with what the tech company said<\/a> was its \u201clongstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources.\u201d<\/p>\n Key Background<\/p>\n Trump renamed Lake Ontario days after Canadian negotiators walked away<\/a> from trade negotiations with the U.S. after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney deemed the U.S.\u2019s demands \u201cunfair.\u201d As a result, U.S. tariffs targeting an estimated $28 billion in Canadian goods<\/a> went into effect, prompting Canada to announce their own 50% retaliatory tariffs<\/a> against U.S. steel, dairy, electronics and other goods last week. <\/p>\n Further ReadingForbesGoogle Maps Says \u2018Gulf Of America\u2019 While Google Calendar Drops Pride, Black History Month: What To KnowBy Conor Murray<\/a>ForbesGoogle Maps Will Show \u2018Gulf Of America\u2019 And \u2018Mt. McKinley\u2019 To US UsersBy Siladitya Ray<\/a>ForbesTrump Renaming Gulf Of Mexico To \u2018Gulf Of America.\u2019 Here\u2019s What He Can\u2014And Can\u2019t\u2014Do.By Mary Whitfill Roeloffs<\/a>