Disputed territories: where Google Maps draws the line
by Simon Usborne from Technology | The Guardian on (#1Q2HW)
Outrage has followed the (misleading) news that Google had removed label for Palestine from its map service - but borders are rarely as simple as cartographers might like
Stick, say, "Wales" into Google Maps: a solid red outline shows the country's borders, the interior is given a red tint and the word "Wales" shows up in bold red letters. Wales is Wales is Wales.
Now search for "Palestine" to get a sense of how fraught cartography has become in the digital age. This time we get a dotted grey line, no red tinting and no "Palestine".
Continue reading...