Beyond the 806
Google Maps changes Lake Ontario to ‘Lake America’ for US users after Trump order: 'It's official!' - Fox Business
Google Maps is now showing "Lake America" instead of Lake Ontario for users in the United States, after President Donald Trump ordered the renaming and the U.S.
Google confirmed the change began rolling out Saturday. The company said it updates Maps to reflect whatever the GNIS lists as the official name for locations in the U.S., so the switch was automatic once the federal database changed. People using Maps in Canada will still see "Lake Ontario," and users outside both countries will see both names displayed together.
For anyone in Lubbock pulling up Google Maps to plan a trip to the Great Lakes region, the name on their screen now depends entirely on which side of the border their phone thinks they're standing on.
The practical divide is hard to ignore. A family in Buffalo, New York looks out at "Lake America" on their phone while their relatives across the water in Ontario see "Lake Ontario" on theirs, both describing the same 7,340 square miles of freshwater that has carried one name since European settlers arrived centuries ago.
Common questions
Why does Google Maps say 'Lake America' instead of Lake Ontario?
- Google Maps updated automatically after the U.S. Geographic Names Information System officially changed the name following a Trump order. Google's policy is to reflect whatever the federal GNIS database lists, so once that record changed, the map label changed with it.
Will people in Canada still see Lake Ontario on Google Maps?
- Yes. Users in Canada still see Lake Ontario on Google Maps. Only US users see 'Lake America.' People outside both countries see both names displayed together on their maps.
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