Google Maps renames Lake Ontario after Trump’s decree on ‘Lake America’

Google has changed the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America on its maps in the United States after an order by US President Donald Trump to rename the body of water as trade tensions escalate with Canada.

The tech giant said in a statement on Saturday that the name of the lake will be updated for US users but still appear as Lake Ontario in Canada. People outside the US and Canada will see both names.

Google said the decision reflects the change made by the US Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).

“These updates follow our long-standing policy for bodies of water with names that vary from country to country, and are starting to roll out now,” the company added.

Google followed a similar policy when Trump unilaterally renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America last year.

Apple Maps, which abided by Trump’s name change for the Gulf of Mexico, still shows the lake as Lake Ontario for users in the US as of Sunday.

The Trump administration on Thursday renamed the lake , which sits between the Canadian province of Ontario and the US state of New York, as a slight to Canada.

The US president had threatened to change the name of the lake as a retaliatory measure against Canada. Earlier this month, Trump imposed 50 percent tariffs on some Canadian products after the two countries failed to reach a trade agreement. Canada retaliated with similar levies.