Washington: US President Donald Trump ordered the federal government to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America”, citing its economic importance and what he described as the United States’ leading role in protecting the Great Lakes.
The executive order directs the US interior secretary to complete the renaming process within 30 days in coordination with the federal Board on Geographic Names.
It applies to US federal usage of the name. Lake Ontario is shared by the United States and Canada, with the international border running through the lake.
“The United States is the greatest protector of the Great Lakes, including the body of water currently known as Lake Ontario,” Trump said in the order.
“Without the security and investment provided by the United States, this freshwater system would not be open for shipping, recreation, and responsible use to the same extent as it is today,” he said.
Trump said the US Coast Guard operates nine of the 11 ice-breaking vessels on the Great Lakes and keeps commercial shipping lanes open without charge.
He also said the United States had invested nearly $4 billion in protecting the Great Lakes freshwater ecosystem over the past decade, while Canada had invested “far less” in similar programmes.
The order did not provide comparative Canadian investment figures.
Trump said the deepest parts of the lake were within US territory and asserted that the United States claimed most of its water volume.
The order described the lake as an important part of American exploration, settlement, commerce and defence.
It cited the role of Oswego, New York, as a historic fort and the first US port of call from the St Lawrence Seaway. It also referred to shipbuilding and naval operations at Sackets Harbor during the War of 1812.
The White House said the broader Great Lakes-St Lawrence Seaway system supports hundreds of thousands of American jobs and generates billions of dollars in economic output, cargo value and business revenue.
The system carries iron ore, limestone, coal, agricultural products and other bulk commodities.
Water from the lake is also used by nuclear, natural gas and oil-fired power plants and supplies drinking water to nearby communities, the order said.
“The Lake will continue to play a pivotal role in shaping America’s future and the global economy,” Trump said.
“In recognition of this flourishing economic resource and its critical importance to our Nation’s economy and its people, I am directing that the Lake officially be renamed as Lake America,” he added.
The interior secretary and the Board on Geographic Names must update the Geographic Names Information System and remove references to Lake Ontario from that federal database.
The board must also issue guidance requiring executive departments and federal agencies to use “Lake America” on maps, contracts, documents and official communications.
The order does not direct Canada, the province of Ontario, international organisations or private map providers to adopt the new name. It also says the change must be implemented in accordance with existing law and available funding.
Lake Ontario is the easternmost and smallest by surface area of North America’s five Great Lakes. It is bordered by New York state to the south and east and the Canadian province of Ontario to the north, west and southwest. Its waters flow into the St Lawrence River before reaching the Atlantic Ocean.
Trump previously directed the US government in January 2025 to use “Gulf of America” instead of the Gulf of Mexico in federal references. That order also required changes to the Geographic Names Information System, although other countries and international bodies were not required to adopt the new terminology.
(IANS)
