Apple Maps Renames Lake Ontario as ‘Lake America’ for US Users Following Trump Executive Order

Apple has updated its digital mapping application for users in the United States, replacing the name of Lake Ontario with “Lake America” following an executive order issued by US President Donald Trump. Users accessing the Apple Maps app within Canada continue to see the location identified by its traditional name.

The presidential order follows a recent breakdown in bilateral trade negotiations between Washington and Ottawa. After discussions collapsed late last month, the US government introduced 50 percent tariffs targeting $20 billion worth of Canadian goods. In response, Canadian officials pledged to enact dollar-for-dollar counter-tariffs on US exports.

US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum stated that President Trump specifically urged Apple to modify the lake’s designation on its platform to comply with the executive decree. The order directs the US Department of the Interior 30 days to update the Geographic Names Information Service, the official national database for geographic place names in the United States. Media inquiries sent to Apple regarding the change have not yet received a public response.

Apple’s move follows a similar modification implemented by Google on its mapping application for US users the previous week. Google stated in a public blog post that its mapping service is regularly updated to reflect official government data sources, resulting in regional variations where American users see Lake America while Canadian users continue to see Lake Ontario.

In contrast, independent mapping service MapQuest confirmed on social media that it would not adopt the name change. Following its announcement, MapQuest experienced a surge in downloads, becoming one of the most downloaded free applications on Apple’s Canadian App Store.

Canadian political leaders have strongly rejected the geographic re-designation. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s administration ended previous trade talks citing unacceptable US demands, with Carney telling the US administration to start being serious before negotiations can restart. At the lake itself, Canadian authorities installed a physical sign reading “Lake Ontario. Now and Always.” Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the sign was set up to remind them, it’s Lake Ontario, now and forever.

President Trump has actively promoted the renaming on social media, sharing artificial intelligence-generated video clips that depict him physically replacing signage along the water. In one clip, he is shown kicking over a sign for Lake Ontario and replacing it with one reading “Welcome to Lake America.”

Background

Lake Ontario is the smallest of the five Great Lakes, situated along the international border separating the Canadian province of Ontario from the US state of New York. Etymologically, the names of Lake Ontario, Lake Michigan, and Lake Erie originate from Indigenous languages, whereas Lake Huron and Lake Superior have French roots.

The regional renaming on digital platforms mirrors earlier cartographic changes made during the Trump administration. In 2025, both Apple and Google updated their mapping services for US users to label the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” following a presidential declaration. That previous directive prompted legal action against Google by the government of Mexico, which accused the technology firm of ignoring official objections to the regional re-designation.