An error in a Google Map showing a disputed border between Costa Rica and Nicaragua may have led to an invasion. (Google)
First, Google Search. Then, Google News. Now . . . Google Wars?
Google Maps is fixing an error in its map of Central America that gave Nicaraguan commanders an excuse to invade a disputed area also claimed by Costa Rica.
A Google spokesman admitted that it had misplaced the border -- adding it corrected its mistake after viewing an official State Department map.
"It is our goal to provide the most accurate, up-to-date maps possible," wrote Charlie Hale, Geo Policy Analyst for Google, in a blog post. "Maps are created using a variety of data sources, and there are inevitably going to be errors in that data. We work hard to correct any errors as soon as we discover them."
Costa Rica, which has no army, was pleased. But Nicaraguan authorities protested Google's correction -- saying the tech giant had it right the first time.
The dispute between Costa Rica and Nicaragua stretches back over a hundred years, Hale noted, pointing out that the International Court of Justice and the United Nations have weighed in on the matter. The area of contention centers around control of the mouth of the San Juan River -- and the argument was recently reignited because of dredging activity in this location.
Read more at the New York Post
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