Google makes Wales Little Britain

(see the map @ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7758961.stm)

When the world's best known web search engine found a translation of "Wales" for its map site, it failed to realise it was in the wrong language.

So Google Maps labelled Wales "An Bhreatain Bheag", the Irish for Wales, which translates as "Little Britain".

The Irish consul-general to Wales, Gearoid McNamara, said he was a "little surprised" to see Irish on the map.

Google, whose European headquarters are in Dublin, the Irish Republic's capital, said: "Oops, our mistake".

The Irish translation appears all along the Welsh side of the border, from just beyond the Severn bridge into north Wales.

A Google spokesperson said: "We work very hard to make Google Maps as accurate and helpful as possible for our users, whether searching for business listings or exploring their local area.

"We're constantly working to improve the quality and accuracy of the information available in Google Maps and appreciate our users' feedback in helping us do so."