Google Maps to label Lake Ontario as 'Lake America' for US users, keep 'Lake Ontario' for Canada

Published Aug 31, 11:09 PM UTC

Google has announced a change to how Lake Ontario will be displayed on its Maps service, varying the name based on the user's location. According to a statement from Google, users accessing Maps within the United States will see the lake labeled as 'Lake America.' Meanwhile, users in Canada will continue to see the traditional name 'Lake Ontario.' For users located outside of both the U.S. and Canada, the map will display both names: 'Lake America' and 'Lake Ontario.' This decision appears to be a localized naming convention, likely reflecting political or cultural sensitivities. The announcement was made via a post on X (formerly Twitter) by the account unusual_whales, which shared a direct quote from Google. The change applies specifically to the labeling of the lake on the digital mapping platform and does not represent an official renaming of the geographical feature itself. The post did not specify a timeline for when the change would take effect or whether it applies to all versions of Google Maps.