Trump Asks Apple to Rename Lake Ontario 'Lake America' on Maps

US President Donald Trump has asked Apple to change the name of Lake Ontario to “Lake America” on its Maps application, days after his administration formally moved to adopt the new name in the United States. US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Monday that Trump had contacted Apple directly and expressed confidence that the new name would appear on Apple Maps soon. However, Apple had not made the change as of Monday afternoon, and its mapping service continued to identify the body of water as Lake Ontario.

Trump signed an executive order last week directing the US Interior Department to update the name of Lake Ontario in the US Geographic Names Information System, the federal database used for official geographic names. The move is part of a broader push by the Trump administration to alter geographic names used by the US government.

Google Maps has already adopted the new designation for users in the United States. The platform shows “Lake America” to users in the US, while people accessing Google Maps from Canada continue to see “Lake Ontario.” Users in other parts of the world may see both names. The situation is different on Apple Maps, where Lake Ontario remains the displayed name. Apple has not publicly confirmed whether it will follow Google's approach or when any potential update could be introduced.

The naming dispute comes amid heightened tensions between the United States and Canada. Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes and lies along the international border, with New York State on its southern side and Canada's Ontario province to the north. The US government's decision applies to its own official geographic naming system and does not require Canada to adopt the new name. Canadian officials have continued to use Lake Ontario, rejecting Trump's proposed designation.

The issue has also exposed differences among mapping platforms. MapQuest has chosen to retain the name Lake Ontario rather than follow the US government's change, while Google has already introduced the “Lake America” label for users in the United States. The controversy is similar to Trump's earlier effort to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.” Major mapping services eventually reflected that change for US users after the federal geographic database was updated. Apple Maps continues to show Lake Ontario, leaving the company as one of the major mapping platforms yet to implement Trump's latest requested name change. Whether Apple follows Google's lead is expected to become clearer after the company reviews the US government's updated geographic designation.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from Mint.