Apple has changed the name of Lake Ontario to “Lake America” on Apple Maps for users in the United States, implementing President Donald Trump’s directive to rename the lake within the US geographic naming system.
The company confirmed that Americans using Apple Maps will now see the body of water labeled “Lake America” following the update to the US Geographic Names Information System. Canadian users will continue to see the traditional “Lake Ontario” designation, while users in other countries will be shown both names, Reuters reported.
Apple is following the same geographic-labeling approach it used after Trump directed that the Gulf of Mexico be renamed the Gulf of America.
The Apple Maps change comes after Alphabet, Google’s parent company, implemented a similar update on Google Maps for American users late Saturday.
Although Google had said its “Lake America” label would be displayed only to users in the United States, the new designation briefly appeared Sunday on several Canadian websites, including government services.
Trump announced last Thursday that he wanted Lake Ontario to be officially designated “Lake America” in the United States, making the move amid worsening tensions between Washington and Ottawa over trade and other issues.
Sitting at the Resolute Desk, Trump signed an executive order directing the Interior Department to update the lake’s name in the US geographic naming system. The department was given 30 days to carry out the directive, though Trump declared that the change was “official, effective immediately.”
The president also said all necessary parties had already been informed of the decision.
Trump said he had “notified all of the various people that we have to notify. So, we’ve done everything that you have to do.”
The naming dispute comes as economic friction between the neighboring countries continues to intensify. The United States imposed 50% tariffs on $20 billion in Canadian products after trade negotiations broke down, prompting Canada to retaliate with tariffs on $20 billion worth of American goods. The Canadian measures cover products including steel, dairy goods, appliances and agricultural equipment.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney pushed back against Trump’s renaming initiative, emphasizing the centuries-old history behind the Lake Ontario name.
“The name Lake Ontario comes from the Wendat word Ontari’io, which, appropriately, means ‘the lake is beautiful, the lake is big”.”
Carney noted that the name predates the founding of both modern Canada and the United States.
“The name is more than 400 years old, predating both the Confederation of Canada and the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America,” added Carney.
The Canadian leader concluded by portraying the dispute as part of broader changes taking place in the United States while insisting that Canadians would continue using the lake’s historic name.
“We know that America is changing. Their trading relationships, their foreign policies, their national monuments, their hydronyms. Canadians also know that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario – then, now and always,” concluded the Prime Minister.
