US President Donald Trump has approached Apple, requesting that the company change the name of Lake Ontario to "Lake America" on its mapping application. The announcement was made by US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, who expressed confidence that the new name would soon appear on Apple Maps, though the company has yet to issue an official response.
Google Maps already displays the lake as "Lake America" within the US, while in Canada it retains the name Lake Ontario. Users in other countries are shown both names simultaneously.
This is not Trump's first instance of renaming a body of water that spans international borders. Last year, he ordered the Gulf of Mexico to be renamed the "Gulf of America," and that change has already been implemented on Apple and Google maps for US users.
The move continues a pattern of geographical renaming during Trump's presidency. Notably, Google has already effectively responded, while Apple has remained silent—which could indicate internal disagreement within the company or political caution regarding the issue.
The matter is not merely about map label changes, but whether tech giants are willing to follow the president's wishes when it comes to internationally recognized geographical features. This could become a new source of tension in relations with Canada, especially as Google's differentiated display by country shows just how sensitive the topic is.
