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Today Google changed the name on Google Maps, but they made the change across the board to comply with a U.S. presidential executive order, not just for those viewing it from the U.S. as they indicated they would. Way to obey in advance, Google. *sigh* |
You know...in the before fore time...when maps were on paper and sometimes there were responsible, clear-minded if not still power-hungry adults in charge of countries...at this mythical time, there was no instant gratification/pacification when it came to changing place names to make one’s empire look bigger. It took a time to survey the land, to record the data, to update it, to draw it, to get it published, and to get it out to whomever needed it, be it to get in good with royalty, or to navigate to the neighbor country and invade it.
The fact is, no one really even noticed in the latter part of the before fore time, like 30+ years ago, not that long ago. If you were old enough to drive then, you probably did not notice changes on paper maps because you were probably not buying a new atlas or maps that often, or even looking at maps at all. You might get atlas if you were going somewhere new, or driving across country and wanted to be prepared. With advent and maturation of online maps on the internet, particularly through the 2000s, this has all changed.
In Scientific American on January 28th, Innisfree McKinnon, Associate Professor of Geography at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, explains how place names on maps are decided and how this is an outlier. McKinnon writes: “The gulf is not within the territorial U.S. On the coast, the first 12 miles from shore are considered part of that country, but outside of that is international waters. The Board of Geographic Names could change the name to Gulf of America on official U.S. maps, but there is no international board in charge of place names. Each country decides what to call places. And there is no official way for the U.S. to make other countries change the name” other than asking other countries to do so or possibly imposing sanctions.
Cartographers have long used maps to gain favor and strengthen relations between kingdoms and empires. I suppose this is along the same lines. but it is no less disappointing. In Imperial Russia, maps and atlases from the time of Peter the Great were issued as a form of flattery to the emperor and empresses reigning at the time. Maybe maps were kind of an Hallmark greeting card. AI generated image below by Gemini. The map image is pretty bad, but you get the sentiment.
Dear Russia,
Another part of the Ottoman Empire! How many is it now? Before long you’ll have a whole baseball team! Here is a map of your new empire. Look how big it is! We hope you’ll be very happy.
Love, France
Even Gemini could not generate an image for what happened today, so let’s just imagine the note inside the greeting card:
Dear President of the USA,
Congratulations on your conquest in name only of a body of water that you still do not own. We took our last bit liberty and changed the name for everyone who uses our maps and will claim we cannot change it just for your subjects. Hence, everyone is now your subject! Here is a map of your new empire. Look how big it is! We hope you’ll be very happy.
Love, Google
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