Bing Maps (Yahoo Maps / Nokia)
From Gibraltar Chronicle
Spain has long referred to the Bay of Gibraltar as the Bahía de Algeciras, much to Gibraltar’s annoyance.
But now, in a move that will spark a furious response here in Gibraltar, Madrid appears to have won influential international support for the Spanish version of the name.
Google Earth view
Note : not any label on Google Maps
Two major online map services, Google Earth and Bing maps, have labelled the Bay of Gibraltar as Bahía de Algeciras in their latest updates.
In a similar development, the latest version of the Encyclopaedia Britannica also refers to the bay as the Bay of Algeciras, even though historical editions named it as Gibraltar Bay.
It is not clear why all three outlets have chosen to opt for the Spanish name, but the decision comes at a time when Spain is pushing hard to exert influence and jurisdiction in Gibraltar waters.
The Spanish Government has long referred to the bay as Bahía de Algeciras, in part because of its assertion that the waters around the Rock are Spanish and not British.
Plano geométrico de la bahía de Algeciras y Gibraltar.
Levantado por el Brigadier de la Real Armada Vicente Tofiño de San Miguel.
Director de las Academias de Guardias Marinas. Año 1786.
But admiralty charts and nautical maps used worldwide refer to the bay by its English name.
UKHO & IHM Spain nautical map
>>> geolocalization with the Marine GeoGarage <<<
NGA 52043 chart (1998) Bay of Gibraltar
but 'Bahia of Algeciras' is still there in some international nautical chart (INT 3152 / ES 445A )
see SHOM #7026 (2009)
see SHOM #7026 (2009)
so the job for the online mapping service leaders is not simple...
Gibraltar Chronicle :Bay change suspended
ReplyDeleteGoogle has “temporarily” removed the label Bahía de Algeciras from its popular Google Maps website.
The latest update of Google Maps had introduced the Spanish name for the Bay of Gibraltar, much to the chagrin of many people in Gibraltar.
The Chronicle ran a story after a reader alerted us to the change. Others emailed the internet company directly.
At issue was the question of whether Google should use Bahía de Algeciras or Bay of Gibraltar.
The Spanish Government has long referred to the bay as Bahía de Algeciras, in part because of its assertion that the waters around the Rock are Spanish and not British.
But admiralty charts and nautical maps used worldwide refer to the bay by its English name.
On Thursday, as Google expanded its Street View feature to cover Gibraltar, it also took steps to look into the concerns expressed from Gibraltar.
“We aim to make our Maps as accurate and as relevant as possible for all users around the world,” a spokesman for Google told the Chronicle.
“We’ve temporarily removed the label from this body of water while we look into the matter and will update the map as soon as possible.”