To be found in the show
After unilaterally renaming the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America”, Donald Trump attacks Canada. His recent executive order to rename the famous “Lake Ontario” to “Lake America” has caused a real headache for mapping apps like Google and Apple Maps…and given rise to wild rumors of maritime retaliation.
It’s a diplomatic and commercial quarrel that is now playing out in our GPS navigation applications. Stung by statements by the Prime Minister of the Canadian province of Ontario, American President Donald Trump signed a decree on August 27 affirming that Lake Ontario must henceforth be called “Lake America”. And this, even though this large lake on the border between the two North American neighbors has had its current name, taken from an Iroquois word, for more than 400 years.
If Trump’s decision has no international value (and is only supported by 14% of Americans), it has immediate consequences on our online lives. On Google Maps, Lake Ontario is now named “Lake America” jubilantly the White House communications director, supporting screenshot. The same image is considered “pathetic” by many Internet users, who accuse Google of submitting too easily to Trump’s decisions.
Has Google changed its maps?
On Sunday, the tech giant explained on its official website that its maps are updated automatically via the American federal database (GNIS). When the latter made the change desired by the president, the modification was reflected in Google Maps.
Within hours, the consequences were felt: an Ontario utility company, which uses the Google interface for its website, automatically displayed “Lake America” to its Canadian customers, attracting local wrath before issuing a flat apology.
Google has since opted for personalization of results based on the geolocation of the Internet user. Users in the United States see “Lake America”, those in Canada read “Lake Ontario”, and the rest of the world (including France) sees the two names coexist.
For its part, Apple has still not changed the name, despite calls from Donald Trump. In January 2025, the company was also reluctant to make the change, before giving in to the president’s demands a few weeks later. The big winner in history could be one of the pioneers of navigation applications. MapQuest has publicly refused to change the name of the lake. Result ? It is now number 1 in downloads in its category on the App Store.
Is Canada blocking American ships?
At the same time, another viral rumor is circulating, claiming that Canada has implemented maritime reprisals. Canadian authorities are reportedly blocking access to the Welland Canal, which connects Lakes Erie and Ontario, to dozens of American ships whose papers indicate the destination “Lake America.” Canadians have found “the simplest way to teach geography”, Internet users laugh.
In reality, real-time data from the maritime tracking platform MarineTraffic show no traffic jams or blocked ships approaching the canal. Local Canadian authorities have firmly denied this rumor to our American colleagues from Snopes. The rumor actually comes from an X account managed by a Russian user defining himself as a “comedian”, posted on August 29 for parody purposes, before being taken up at face value.
The real Canadian response is much more down to earth, but just as firm: local authorities have erected a giant sign on the shores to remind people that the body of water is called Lake Ontario “today, and forever” despite any trade war.
