Apple Maps displays ‘Lake America’ for US users
Apple Maps displays “Lake America” instead of Lake Ontario for users in the United States, according to the Guardian. The change follows an executive order from Donald Trump seeking to rename the Great Lake amid a trade dispute with Canada. Users outside the US continue to see the name Lake Ontario.
Apple Maps has renamed Lake Ontario as “Lake America” for users in the United States, according to the Guardian.
The lake lies between New York state and the Canadian province of Ontario. The change follows an executive order from Donald Trump to alter the lake’s name amid a trade dispute with Canada.
Apple users outside the US continue to see “Lake Ontario” in the Maps app.
THE QUESTIONS THIS EVENT LEAVES BEHIND
What criteria does Apple use to determine which geographic names appear in different countries?
How might Canadian users and authorities respond to the differing names?
What other mapping services have adopted or rejected the requested name change?
What legal or technical process governs changes to geographic names in commercial mapping apps?
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GLOBAL CURIOSITY MAP · JULY 2026