Google Maps: Uncle Sam’s To Blame For That Costa Rica-Nicaragua Border Error

Earlier, we covered how a Nicaraguan military commander, using Google Maps, moved into Costa Rican territory and sparked a dispute between the two countries. Now Google has explained where the boundary error came from: the United States government.

In a blog post today, Google explained how the error happened:

This morning, after a discussion with the data supplier for this particular border (the U.S. Department of State), we determined that there was indeed an error in the compilation of the source data, by up to 2.7 kilometers. The U.S. Department of State has provided a corrected version and we are now working to update our maps.

The post goes on to explain more about the background on disputes over this particular border, including some historical images, including the news clipping shown above. Personally, I had a chuckle over where the buck ultimately stopped with this incident, with to the US State Department.

Our previous story, Nicaragua Raids Costa Rica, Blames Google Maps, has background on the dispute caused in part by the map error.

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About The Author

Danny Sullivan

Danny Sullivan was a journalist and analyst who covered the digital and search marketing space from 1996 through 2017. He was also a cofounder of Third Door Media, which publishes Search Engine Land and MarTech, and produces the SMX: Search Marketing Expo and MarTech events. He retired from journalism and Third Door Media in June 2017. You can learn more about him on his personal site & blog He can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.