Google Maps changes Lake Ontario label to Lake America in U.S.
The decision was prompted by a change in the official US government geographic naming system, the company said.
Google Maps relabeled Lake Ontario as “Lake America” for users in the US, Alphabet Inc. announced, after President Donald Trump said he would rename the lake amid a trade spat with Canada.
The decision was prompted by a change in the official US government geographic naming system, the company said.
The lake is one of the Great Lakes and spans the border between the two countries. Trump clashed with New York Governor Kathy Hochul after she said that New York state wouldn’t use the new name.
Users in Canada will continue to see the body of water labeled as Lake Ontario, while the rest of the world will see both names displayed.
“These updates follow our long-standing policy for bodies of water with names that vary from country to country,” Alphabet said in a statement.
MapQuest will not change the name in its products, the platform wrote in a social media post. Apple Maps is currently displaying the body of water to US users as Lake Ontario.
Trump last year ordered the Gulf of Mexico renamed to Gulf of America.
