Lake Ontario to Lake America – Who Gets to Decide What Goes on Maps?

Lake Ontario to 'Lake America': Who gets to decide what goes on maps?

A geographer explains the politics and procedures behind renaming American places.

Why is Lake Ontario called Lake Ontario? The name's history

Lake Ontario's name dates back centuries and comes from an Indigenous term associated with its waters. Here's the history behind the Great Lake's name and why President Donald Trump wants to change it to "Lake America."

Lake Fiasco, Apple Ads, Websites Matter, Meta Settles, Google Wants It All

Lake Ontario Fiasco As trade negotiations with Canada fell apart, Trump issued an order renaming Lake Ontario "Lake America" A petty rebuke, it follows a similar episode in January 2024, when Trump took aim at another North American neighbor and renamed the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America." At

Lake Ontario to Lake America – who gets to decide what goes on maps?

On Aug. 27, 2026, President Donald Trump issued an executive order renaming Lake Ontario “Lake America,” claiming his administration had already … Source