Apple has changed the name of Lake Ontario to “Lake America” for users of its Maps app in the United States, following a U.S. executive order by President Donald Trump to rename the Great Lake.
The new name is displayed to Apple Maps users in the U.S., while users outside the country will continue to see the name Lake Ontario. The lake lies on the border between the U.S. state of New York and the Canadian province of Ontario.
Trump welcomed Apple’s decision and wrote on his social media platform Truth Social that, after both Google Maps and Apple Maps accepted the name “Lake America,” the name change was “finished, confirmed and binding.” However, the U.S. cannot force Canada or other countries to use the new name.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney rejected the renaming attempt, stressing that the name Ontario originates from the language of the Indigenous Wendat people and predates both Canadian Confederation and the U.S. Declaration of Independence. Ontario Premier Doug Ford had previously unveiled a large sign reading “Lake Ontario, Now and Always.”
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The decision to change the name came amid escalating trade tensions between Washington and Ottawa. Talks between the two countries recently broke down, after which the U.S. imposed 50% tariffs on some Canadian products, while Canada responded with tariffs on hundreds of American products.
Google changed the lake’s name on its maps over the weekend. Users in the U.S. see “Lake America,” those in Canada see “Lake Ontario,” while users in other countries may see both names.
Unlike the tech giants, MapQuest refused to change the name. The company posted a photo of the lake with the message “We’re not changing it,” after which its app rose to first place among navigation apps on Apple’s App Store in the U.S.
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Source: The Guardian Foto: Društvene mreže printscreen
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