Google Maps (formerly
Google Local) is a
web mapping service application and technology provided by
Google, free (for non-commercial use), that powers many map-based services, including the Google Maps website, Google Ride Finder, Google Transit, and maps embedded on third-party websites via the Google Maps
API. It offers street maps, a
route planner for traveling by foot, car, or public transport and an urban business locator for numerous countries around the world. Google Maps satellite images are not updated in real time; they are several months or years old.
Google Maps uses a close variant of the
Mercator projection, so it cannot show areas around the poles. A related product is
Google Earth, a stand-alone program which offers more globe-viewing features, including showing polar areas.
Satellite view
Google Maps provides high-resolution aerial or satellite images for most urban areas in the United States (including Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, and the
U.S. Virgin Islands), Canada, and the United Kingdom, as well as parts of Australia and many other countries. The high-resolution imagery has been used by Google Maps to cover all of
Egypt's Nile Valley, Sahara desert and Sinai. Google Maps also covers many cities in the English speaking areas. However, Google Maps is not solely an English maps service, since its service is intended to cover the world.Various governments have complained about the...
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