Apple has renamed Lake Ontario as Lake America on its Maps service for users in the United States, following an executive order from US President Donald Trump. This change is part of ongoing trade tensions between the US and Canada, which escalated after the US imposed new tariffs on Canadian goods. Users in Canada will continue to see Lake Ontario on their maps. The BBC has reached out to Apple for comment.
The name change comes after trade negotiations between the two countries collapsed, leading to the US imposing 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods. In response, Canada announced it would implement counter-tariffs. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's administration withdrew from negotiations, citing unacceptable demands from the US.
Trump's executive order requires the US Department of the Interior to update the Geographic Names Information Service within 30 days to reflect the name change. US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum stated that Apple was specifically urged to comply with the order. Trump has also shared AI-generated videos on social media showing him replacing a Lake Ontario sign with one that reads "Welcome to Lake America."
In response to the name change, Canada has installed a sign at the lake stating, "Lake Ontario. Now and Always," as a reminder of the original name. Ontario Premier Doug Ford commented on the installation, emphasizing the permanence of the name Lake Ontario.
The BBC has gathered reactions from Americans regarding the name change. The names of four of the five Great Lakes—Ontario, Huron, Michigan, and Erie—originate from indigenous words, while Lake Superior is derived from an anglicized French term. Lake Ontario is the smallest of the Great Lakes, located between the Canadian province of Ontario and the US state of New York.
Not all mapping services have adopted the new name. MapQuest announced on social media that it would not change the name. The platform recently became the most-downloaded free application on the Canadian Apple App Store. Google also updated its Maps service to reflect the name change for US users, stating that updates are made to align with official government sources. In a previous instance, Google faced legal action from Mexico over a similar renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America for US users, which was also adopted by Apple.