Google Maps Error Sparks International Conflict

While the border between the countries was displayed incorrectly by Google Maps, the version on Microsoft's Bing maps was accurate.

There has been much historical conflict - going back to the mid-19th century - over which country owns land near the San Juan River.

However, a treaty between Costa Rica and Nicaragua has been in place since 1858 and details the border line accepted by both sides. In 1888, US president Grover Cleveland was called in to arbitrate the dispute and he decided to uphold the 1858 treaty and its terms. A more detailed map of the boundary was drawn in 1897 at the request of Cleveland.

Hale said Google's map of the area would be corrected to follow the demarcation laid out in 1897.

"Once our updates go live in Google Earth and Maps we will be depicting the border according to the most recent and definitive records available. But as we know, cartography is a complex undertaking and borders are always changing. We remain committed to updating our maps as needed," Hale wrote.

The Nicaraguan government demanded that Google reject Costa Rica's request to change the depiction of the border, which it called "correct".

"I officially request that [the border marking] not be modified," Foreign Minister Samuel Santos asked Google representative Jeffrey Hardy.

Last Tuesday, Costa Rica, which does not have an army, dispatched fresh security forces to the border to bolster 150 agents sent earlier to the region, the scene of increasingly heated cross-border tensions since October 18.

This year Google was accused of showing an erroneous version of the border between Cambodia and Thailand.