Google Maps Quietly Commits Cartographic Revisionism

Google Maps is adapting to the latest bureaucratic quirk from the U.S. Geographic Names Information System, which has officially swapped out 'Lake Ontario' for 'Lake America' within domestic borders. As digital cartographers scramble to keep local politicians happy, the rest of the world watches database logic bend to patriotic whim.

• Bureaucratic Whiplash: Official naming bodies continue to prove that geography is negotiable if you file the right paperwork.
• Global Inconsistency: Google Maps must now navigate the geopolitical joy of displaying different names for the exact same body of water depending on who is looking.
• The Cost of Compliance: Engineering resources are once again diverted to appease arbitrary administrative updates rather than fixing actual map bugs.

Read the original: How the GNIS Lake Ontario/Lake America name change in the U.S. will appear in Maps