Google Maps is one of the most essential apps in our smartphones. The app is used by more than a billion users around the world daily. With over 80% market share, Google has become the largest digital map maker in the world, leaving Apple maps in the dust.
The sole reason for the different representation of borders is political discrepancies among the governments of those regions. For instance, take the case of Jammu and Kashmir, the majorly disputed area between India and Pakistan has been in disarray for more than 70 years. Now, if a user from Pakistan opens up Google Maps and search for Kashmir, he/she will see dashed lines all over the region, resembling the conflict between the countries. However, if an Indian user looks at the same region, he/she will see a solid, uninterrupted line between the countries. Image: The Washington Post | Google Maps
Google reportedly said that to make these important decisions, they go through treaties between governments of different regions. They scour for official documents that they can refer to in making these kinds of decisions. To work through this process, the company works with organisations like the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names (UNGEGN). To represent the borders the company said that they comply with the local government rules.
