Google has separated South Sudan from Sudan on Google Maps after campaigners called on the company and other major online map service providers to recognise the newly independent nation of South Sudan by marking it on their web maps.
“The inclusion of South Sudan will give the people of that new nation pride and a sense of belonging, as citizens of a sovereign nation on the map,” said a spokesperson for the campaigners in a statement.
“We are hoping that now that Google has officially recognised South Sudan on their maps, the other major online mapping services will quickly follow suit. The people of South Sudan fought long and hard for their independence and suffered greatly. It is time these maps reflect their efforts and catch up.”
South Sudan became an independent, sovereign nation in July after about 99% of the population voted in favour of independence. The referendum followed 50 years of civil war and brutal conflict which resulted in over 2 million deaths and hundreds of thousands of refugees and internally displaced people.
While South Sudan can now be found on Google Maps, it is however still missing from Yahoo!, Microsoft and National Geographic maps.
Goodman Majola
