Apple Maps Follows Google in Renaming Lake Ontario to ‘Lake America’
Lake Ontario has been rebranded as “Lake America” on both Apple and Google navigation platforms, marking a significant change spurred by a US governmental directive. President Donald Trump had signed an executive order during a trade disagreement with Canada, initiating this alteration in nomenclature.
The rebranding on Google Maps occurred soon after the change was reflected in the US Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). However, Apple Maps implemented the update a little later. Notably, Apple Maps retains the original “Lake Ontario” label in its Canadian version, while displaying both names internationally.
This is not the first geographical rename under Trump’s administration. Both tech giants had previously amended the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America” following another executive decree. This ongoing trend reflects broader political influences on map representations.
Meanwhile, MapQuest has chosen to maintain the original names for both Lake Ontario and the Gulf of Mexico. This decision might have contributed to its popularity, as it currently leads in downloads on Apple’s App Store.
Reporting based on coverage first published by theverge.com.