- Trump signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario to Lake America after the U.S. imposed tariffs on most Canadian goods when trade talks collapsed between the two nations.
- Interior Secretary Burgum explained that the name change process involves directing the Department of the Interior and the Board of Geographic Names.
- The U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) has formally changed the name for 'Lake Ontario' to 'Lake America' in the United States, and Google Maps will reflect this change for U.S. users.
- Tribal nation leaders have called for President Trump to rescind his executive order, stating he can't assert ownership over Indigenous culture or erase it through irresponsible political action.
- Burgum added that the name change is plugged into software that cascades down to all map providers.
- These updates follow Google's long-standing policy for bodies of water with names that vary from country to country.
President Trump’s recent executive order renaming Lake Ontario to Lake America has sparked significant opposition from tribal leaders. They argue that such a move attempts to erase Indigenous culture and assert ownership over it.14
“He can't assert ownership over Indigenous culture or erase it through irresponsible political action,” tribal nation leaders stated.
Interior Secretary David Bernhardt confirmed that Trump directly contacted Apple to facilitate the name change, which is now reflected in U.S. mapping systems.
“I know that the president reached out to Apple directly, so I'm sure that we may be seeing that change coming up soon to Lake America,” said North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum on Fox Business.2
The U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) has officially changed the name in the United States, meaning that users of Google Maps in the U.S. will now see 'Lake America.' However, those in Canada will continue to see 'Lake Ontario,' and users outside of North America will see both names.3
This change follows a backdrop of strained relations between the U.S. and Canada, particularly after the U.S. imposed tariffs on Canadian goods amid trade negotiations.
“They plug that into the software and then that software cascades down so all the map providers would do that,” Burgum added, explaining the technical process behind the name change.
“The name change follows Trump's executive order signed last week after tariffs on Canadian goods and collapsed trade talks. Google Maps will show 'Lake America' for U.S. users, 'Lake Ontario' for Canadians, and both names internationally, per GNIS.”
