Maps are not neutral reflections of the world, as they involve decisions about which countries are highlighted, how large they appear, and what they are called. These choices can shape how people perceive global political and economic realities. In August 2020, then-President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the federal government to rename Lake Ontario to "Lake America," as part of a broader trade dispute with Canada. In January 2025, he issued another order renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America." Some tech companies, including Google and Apple, implemented these changes for U.S. users, while others, such as MapQuest and Canadian services, did not. In a significant vote, the United Nations General Assembly endorsed a map that represents the world differently, with 164 countries supporting it, six abstaining, and the United States opposing. This map, using the Equal Earth projection, aims to show continents more accurately in size compared to traditional maps like the Mercator projection. The Mercator map, widely used for navigation, distorts the size of landmasses, making regions near the poles appear larger and equatorial regions, such as many African countries, appear smaller. In reality, Africa is much larger than Greenland, for example. Experts highlight how maps influence political and economic perspectives. Alex Moulton, an assistant professor in geography and environmental science at Hunter College, notes that maps can structure political landscapes with real-world consequences. Nerve Macaspac, a political geographer at Queens College, explains that how we view the world can affect how we relate to it politically and economically. "If Africa is shown as a smaller landmass, it carries political implications. Seeing it in its true size can have economic and political consequences," Macaspac said. Maps also serve as historical records of how the world was perceived at different times. For example, the depiction of the United States would vary depending on the historical period shown. Trump’s efforts to rename geographic features, such as changing the name of Alaska’s Denali back to Mount McKinley, reflect this historical perspective. Tony Rodono, owner of The Map Shop in North Carolina, points out that maps capture a specific moment in time and reflect the cartographer’s understanding of the world at that moment. "Map-making is world-making," Moulton said, emphasizing that the process is inherently political.