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Google Maps renames Lake Ontario ‘Lake America’ in the US after Trump order
🇰🇷 South Korea /Elections & Politics

Google Maps renames Lake Ontario ‘Lake America’ in the US after Trump order

From Dong-A Ilbo · () Korean

Translated from Korean and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Official statement Approved/passed
  • Google Maps now displays “Lake America” to US users, “Lake Ontario” to Canadian users, and both names elsewhere after a US government naming change.
  • The lake lies between New York state and Canada’s Ontario province, whose officials oppose the new name.
  • Apple Maps continues to use “Lake Ontario,” while MapQuest said it would not change the name.

Google Maps changed the name of Lake Ontario to “Lake America” for users in the United States, moving quickly to reflect an order signed by President Donald Trump.

Google said the US Board on Geographic Names’ Geographic Names Information System had officially changed the lake’s name in the United States. The company said it updates its maps to reflect naming changes in official government records.

The US Geographic Names Information System officially changed the name of Lake Ontario in the United States.

— GoogleGoogle explained why it changed the name shown to US users.

The lake sits between New York state and Ontario, Canada. Ontario’s name itself comes from the lake, which has carried that name for generations. Under Google’s update, US users see “Lake America,” Canadian users see “Lake Ontario,” and users in other countries see both names, following Google’s policy for bodies of water with different national names.

We were treated very badly.

— Donald TrumpTrump criticized Canada while discussing the renaming order and trade tensions.

Officials on both sides of the lake rejected the change. New York Governor Kathy Hochul said New York would not use the new name. Ontario Premier Doug Ford responded by erecting a large sign at Fifty Point Conservation Area, near the lake, measuring about 7.3 metres wide and 3.6 metres high.

The dispute comes amid worsening US-Canada trade tensions. Trump has described Canada as one of the hardest countries for the United States to trade with and accused Canadian officials of treating the United States badly. The renaming is his second recent attempt to change a geographic name in the United States. In January last year, he ordered the Gulf of Mexico to be called the Gulf of America in the United States.

All my life, this place has been Lake Ontario.

— US residentA resident interviewed by the BBC objected to the name change.

Residents interviewed in a BBC video also objected. One said the lake had been called Lake Ontario throughout their life, while another said there was no reason to change it. A Trump supporter said the president appeared to be losing his senses over the decision. Apple Maps still uses “Lake Ontario,” and MapQuest said on social media that it would not make the change.

This time, he seems to be losing his senses.

— Trump supporterA self-described Trump supporter expressed disappointment with the decision.
About this summary

Originally published by Dong-A Ilbo in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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