Google Maps has changed the name of Lake Ontario to \u201cLake America\u201d for users in the United States, following President Donald Trump\u2019s executive order rebranding the lake. The move has prompted backlash from critics.<\/p>\n
In a Saturday blog post, Google explained that U.S. users would see \u201cLake America\u201d displayed over the Great Lake, which straddles the U.S.-Canada border.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) has formally changed the name for \u2018Lake Ontario\u2019 to \u2018Lake America\u2019 in the United States,\u201d Google said. \u201cSince we update Google Maps to reflect name changes in official government sources, which is GNIS for the U.S., people using Maps in the U.S. will see \u2018Lake America,\u2019 those in Canada will continue to see \u2018Lake Ontario,\u2019 and those outside of the U.S. and Canada will see both names.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThese updates follow our long-standing policy for bodies of water with names that vary from country to country, and are starting to roll out now,\u201d the company added.<\/p>\n
The update came two days after Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to use the new name for the lake in official documents and records. While the president can direct how the federal government refers to geographic features, he cannot compel foreign nations, private entities or even U.S. states to follow his lead.<\/p>\n
Google Maps has changed the name of Lake Ontario to ‘Lake America,’ sparking backlash from critics (Google Maps)The White House and a number of Trump\u2019s supporters applauded Google\u2019s move. But critics accused the Silicon Valley company of bending to pressure from the Trump administration.<\/p>\n
\u201cGoogle Maps has now capitulated to Donald Trump and changed the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America,\u201d MeidasTouch, a progressive media company, wrote on X.<\/p>\n
\u201cGoogle goes along with trump \u2018lake america\u2019 pronouncement,\u201d wrote Ian Bremmer, an American political scientist. He noted that Apple Maps still identifies the body of water as Lake Ontario. \u201cApple thinking longer term,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo basically they\u2019ll allow any POTUS exec order to rename stuff,\u201d another user chimed in. \u201cNo reason he doesn\u2019t just start renaming things after his friends.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some Canadian commenters were particularly incensed. \u201cTime to stop using @Google Cowards,\u201d Eric Reguly, a Canadian newspaper columnist, wrote on X.<\/p>\n
The Independent has contacted Google for comment.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, President Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to use the name \u2018Lake America\u2019 in official documents and records. While the president can direct how the federal government refers to geographic features, he cannot compel foreign nations, private entities or even U.S. states to follow his lead (Getty Images)Trump\u2019s executive order \u2014 which echoes a similar move last year renaming the Gulf of Mexico \u2014 triggered a response from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on social media.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know that America is changing. Their trading relationships, their foreign policies, their national monuments, their hydronyms,\u201d Carney wrote in a Thursday X post. \u201cCanadians also know that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario \u2013 then, now and always.\u201d<\/p>\n
The rebranding effort comes amid a bitter tariff war between the U.S. and Canada, longtime trading partners and allies.<\/p>\n
Last Saturday, the U.S. imposed 50 percent tariffs on about $20 billion in Canadian exports after last-minute talks between Washington and Ottawa broke down. Canadian officials, who likened the move to an act of war, responded by slapping retaliatory levies of up to 50 percent on a range of U.S. goods.<\/p>\n
Relations between the two nations have deteriorated since Trump took office, due in part to the Republican president\u2019s numerous tariffs and his claim that Canada should become the \u201c51st state.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Google Maps has changed the name of Lake Ontario to \u201cLake America\u201d for users in the United States, following President Donald Trump\u2019s executive order rebranding the lake. The move has prompted backlash from critics. In a Saturday blog post, Google explained that U.S. users would see \u201cLake America\u201d displayed over the Great Lake, which straddles […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6119,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[173],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6118","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n