Daijiworld Media Network - Washington

Washington, Aug 31: Google has updated its Maps application to display Lake Ontario as “Lake America” for users in the United States, following US President Donald Trump’s recent order to rename the lake.

The Google Maps change comes days after Trump issued the order amid escalating trade tensions between the United States and Canada, with both countries imposing billions of dollars in additional tariffs on each other’s goods.

The move echoes Google's decision in 2025 to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” for users in the United States after Trump ordered the change.

Google said in a blog post on Saturday that its decision was based on its long-standing practice of using names assigned by the US Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).

“People using Maps in the U.S. will see ‘Lake America,’ those in Canada will continue to see ‘Lake Ontario,’ and those outside of the U.S. and Canada will see both names,” Google said.

The company said the updates follow its policy for geographical features whose names differ between countries and that the changes were beginning to roll out.

Trump's decision to rename the lake on Thursday was met with mockery and indifference in both Canada and the United States.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford responded to the order on Saturday with a billboard-sized message displayed on the Canadian shore reading, “Lake Ontario. Now and forever.”

The White House, the office of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ford's office had not immediately commented on Google's decision.

The latest dispute comes amid worsening relations between Washington and Ottawa over trade and tariffs. The renaming of the lake has added another symbolic point of contention between the two neighbouring countries.

Google, headquartered in Mountain View, California, operates one of the world's leading search engines and a major digital advertising network. Its parent company is Alphabet Inc.