Google Maps adopts Trump's renaming of Lake Ontario for US users
After US President Trump's decree renaming Lake Ontario to "Lake America", Google Maps in the USA shows the new name. Canada rejects the change.
Quick Look
- Google Maps shows Lake Ontario, which was renamed “Lake America” by US President Trump, for users in the USA under the new name.
- While Canada sticks to the original, Google reacts with a regionally different representation, similar to the Gulf of Mexico.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The dispute between the USA and Canada escalates in the wake of failed trade negotiations and tariffs imposed.
US President Donald Trump's renaming of the US-Canadian border lake Lake Ontario to "Lake America" is already having an impact on the online map service Google Maps. According to its own information, the US company has adapted the new name for searches from the United States accordingly. Different rules apply outside the country: Google said that users in Canada will continue to see the name Lake Ontario. According to Google, both names are displayed in other countries, including Germany.
Trump ordered the renaming on Thursday. The Canadians are sticking to the previous name. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said Canada will not recognize Trump's attempt to single-handedly rename Lake Ontario. Lake Ontario is one of the so-called five Great Lakes. The border between the Canadian province of Ontario and the US state of New York runs through it. The name of the lake goes back to the 17th century, when the USA and Canada had not yet been founded.
Trump uses renaming more often in his second term as a means of demonstrating power. His anger with Canada is due to the common customs dispute, in which the neighboring country does not give in. Since the failure of trade talks between the governments in Washington and Ottawa a week ago, the dispute between the neighboring countries has worsened significantly. Trump recently stated that he no longer expected the USA to do significant business with Ontario. Canada's most populous province is economically closely linked to the USA.
Last year, Google had already done something similar to what it is doing now. After Trump's move, US users of Google Maps were now shown the bay previously known as the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America." In Mexico, on the other hand, people continue to see the Gulf of Mexico - the name of the gulf on the southern coast of the USA, which has been in use since the 16th century. Users in other countries will see both names.
Read more about the topic here: US President Donald Trump has announced new 50 percent tariffs against Canada. But Mark Carney is combative. Canada could emerge from the trade war as a winner - especially Trump could lose.
Open Questions
- How are other international tech services reacting to the renaming?
- When will trade talks between Washington and Ottawa resume?
