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Online Travel

Rio succeeds in pressing Google to remove the word "favela" from its maps

Donna Bowater

Photo Credit: The Leblon and Ipanema neighborhoods, and Ipanema Beach are seen from Casa Alto Vidigal, a hostel owned by Austrian-born Andreas Wielend at the top of favela Vidigal in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  Penn State University / Chloe Elmer

Skift Take

Geopolitics play a large role in mapping worldwide, but this relatively small case is an example of the factors including safety, pride, and accuracy that are involved in such instances.

Google has reportedly removed the word "favela" from some of its maps of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil after pressure from the city hall and tourist boards. Hundreds of the shanty-town communities sprawl over the hillsides and in undeveloped parts of the city, and were previously identified on maps using the Portuguese word favela. In recent years, safety in favelas has improved as police have taken control away from drug gangs though cri

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