Frank Jacobs, writer for The New York Times, details the events leading up to the almost war between Costa Rica and Nicaragua in 2010.
“The First Google Maps War” is a result of Nicaraguan intrusion into Costa Rican territory on account of a border inconsistency between the previously agreed upon land ownership and the ever-so-popular Google Maps.
According to the online resource, Nicaragua had claim to a few square miles just South of its already established borderlines. So the country dispatched troops to “the Isla Portillos, along the southern bank of the San Juan’s main channel,” to defend its “rightful” territory.
The history and lifestyles of the two nations are different in many ways, which might shed light on why either would participate in such a trivial feud.
Costa Rica is acclaimed for it’s relatively peaceful nature and has been involved in very little conflict in recent history. The country is wealthy and much more stable than most of its Central American neighbors. Because of this, it does not maintain a military, only a police force, seventy of which it sent to the area in retaliation to Nicaragua’s military presence.
On the other hand, Nicaraguans tend to be impoverished and the nation has long been disgruntled by its constant gang violence and lack of stability. Nicaragua’s history of conflict may yield an explanation to why it’d be so confrontational over the small area.
The nation’s leaders may have seen the incursion as a potential economic boost because Costa Rican lands are lush with agricultural possibilities and its people are wealthy. That being said, the loss Costa Rica might’ve incurred justifies its hasty reprisal.
However, Nicaragua’s president, Daniel Ortega explains his actions because of the shrinking river that denotes the border between the two.
In an interview with The Tico Times, President Ortega said, “In the 1600s and 1700s, the river covered an enormous amount of territory at its delta.” He goes on to say, “And as the zone has dried, the river has moved and (Costa Rica) has continued to advance and take possession of terrain that doesn’t belong to it.”
Despite the standoff near San Juan, the countries did not battle it out. “Google Maps’ imprecision reignited a long-standing border dispute that could have led to a real war,” writes Jacobs.
No physical fighting commenced, but Costa Rica did go on to file a lawsuit against Nicaragua to the International Court of Justice in The Hague “for alleged environmental damage and violation of sovereignty,” as reported by Nicaragua’s La Prensa. This court case is still in the works, as recently as April 2013.
Globalization and Digital Technology 