By COMFORT OGBONNA
U.S. President Donald Trump has asked Apple to reflect his administration’s decision to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America” on the company’s mapping services, according to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.
Burgum said Monday that Trump had contacted Apple directly about the proposed change and suggested that the technology company could update its maps in the near future.
“The president reached out to Apple directly, so I’m sure that we may be seeing that change coming up soon to Lake America,” Burgum said during an interview.
Apple had not immediately commented on whether it would change the name displayed on its mapping products.
Trump announced the proposed renaming of Lake Ontario on Aug. 27, making the smallest of North America’s five Great Lakes the latest focus of his administration’s effort to emphasize American naming conventions.
The move comes amid increasingly tense relations between the United States and Canada, including a broader trade dispute that has resulted in both countries imposing tariffs on billions of dollars worth of goods.
Lake Ontario sits along the border between the United States and Canada and has historically been known by the same name in both countries.
The president’s order does not, however, change the lake’s name internationally or require Canadian authorities to adopt the new designation.
Instead, the executive order affects the U.S. Geographic Names Information System, the federal database used to establish standardized geographic names for official U.S. government maps and documents.
The distinction means that the lake could carry different names depending on where a map is being viewed and which country’s geographic naming standards are being followed.
U.S. government maps and other federal materials could begin using “Lake America,” while Canadian maps and official documents would continue referring to it as Lake Ontario.
International organizations, businesses and mapping platforms would also remain free to determine how they identify the lake based on their own policies and geographic data.
Digital mapping services have already begun responding to the administration’s naming decision.
Google has changed the name displayed to users in the United States to “Lake America,” while users elsewhere may continue to see “Lake Ontario.”
Apple’s mapping service could become the next major platform to adopt the new U.S. designation if the company decides to follow the federal government’s updated geographic naming standard.
The potential change would affect millions of people who use digital maps for navigation, travel planning and geographic information.
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes and is bordered by Ontario, Canada, to the north and the U.S. states of New York to the south. It is connected to the other Great Lakes through a network of waterways that ultimately links the region to the Atlantic Ocean.
The lake is also economically significant to both countries, supporting commercial shipping, tourism, fishing and communities along its shoreline.
The naming dispute adds another unusual dimension to the already strained relationship between Washington and Ottawa.
Trump’s administration has repeatedly emphasized what it describes as American economic and national interests in dealings with Canada, while Canadian officials have pushed back against several U.S. trade and policy measures.
The decision to rename the lake has therefore become part of a broader political debate over national identity, sovereignty and the long-standing relationship between the two neighboring countries.
Although the federal government can establish official names for geographic features used by U.S. agencies, it cannot unilaterally determine what Canada or other countries call the lake.
As a result, the two names could remain in use simultaneously for years, depending on the country, institution or platform.
If Apple adopts the U.S. government’s designation, American users could soon see “Lake America” when searching the company’s maps, while Canadian users and users in other countries could continue to see the traditional name.
The issue also highlights the growing influence of technology companies over how geographic information is presented to the public. Mapping platforms have become an important source of everyday geographic information, meaning even an official government naming change can have limited practical effect unless major digital services incorporate it.
For now, Apple’s position remains unclear. But Burgum’s comments indicate that the administration is actively encouraging major technology companies to recognize the new U.S. designation.
If Apple makes the change, “Lake America” could become increasingly familiar to users in the United States, even as “Lake Ontario” remains the established name across Canada and much of the rest of the world.
Original article
Comments