Apple Maps renames Lake Ontario to "Lake America" after Trump directive, sparking satire on political renamings

Apple Maps recently renamed Lake Ontario to “Lake America” for American users after receiving instructions from Donald Trump. An opinion column uses this incident to argue that such politically driven renamings are superficial, noting that many trans-border natural features already have different names in various jurisdictions, such as Lac Léman/Bodensee and La Manche/Les Îles Malouines. The piece humorously suggests future possibilities like “Lake Cleveland” (formerly Erie) or “Lake Trump” (formerly Superior) and mentions potential actions by parties such as Reform UK or Restore Britain.

It also references Wales’s recent reclamation of native place names and a dystopian novel by Islwyn Ffowc Elis that imagined Wales renamed Western England. By invoking cultural works and historical precedents, the author underscores the symbolic nature of these naming changes.