Google Maps facts for kids
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Screenshot of Google Maps in a web browser
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Type of site
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Web mapping |
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| Available in | Afrikaans, Azerbaijani, Indonesian, Malay, Bosnian, Catalan, Czech, Danish, German (Germany), Estonian, English (United States), Spanish (Spain), Spanish (Latin America), Basque, Filipino, French (France), Galician, Croatian, Zulu, Icelandic, Italian, Swahili, Latvian, Lithuanian, Hungarian, Dutch, Norwegian, Uzbek, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Romanian, Albanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Finnish, Swedish, Vietnamese, Turkish, Greek, Bulgarian, Kyrgyz, Kazakh, Macedonian, Mongolian, Russian, Serbian, Ukrainian, Georgian, Armenian, Hebrew, Urdu, Arabic, Persian, Amharic, Nepali, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Sinhala, Thai, Lao, Burmese, Khmer, Korean, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese |
| Owner | |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | Optional, included with a Google Account |
| Launched | February 8, 2005 |
| Current status | Active |
| Written in | C++ (back-end), JavaScript, XML, Ajax (UI) |
Google Maps is a super popular online map service from Google. It helps you find places and get around. You can see maps, satellite pictures, and even 360-degree views of streets.
Google Maps also shows you how bad traffic is right now. It helps you plan trips for walking, driving, biking, or using public transport. In 2020, over one billion people used Google Maps every month!
Google Maps started as a computer program made by brothers Lars and Jens Rasmussen. Google bought their company in 2004 and turned it into a website. Google Maps officially launched in February 2005.
The service uses special computer languages like JavaScript and XML to work. Google Maps also lets other websites use its maps. This means you might see Google Maps on different company websites.
Google Maps has a "satellite view" that shows places from above. Most high-quality pictures of cities are taken by airplanes. Other images come from satellites in space. These pictures are usually updated often.
In 2018, the computer version of Google Maps started showing a 3D globe. This makes the Earth look more like it does in real life. You can still switch back to a flat 2D map if you want.
Google Maps also has apps for phones and tablets. The app came out in 2008 for Android and iOS devices. It helps you with turn-by-turn directions using your phone's GPS. By 2013, it was the most popular app on smartphones.
Contents
- How Google Maps Works
- Get Directions and Use Public Transport
- Check Traffic Conditions
- Explore with Street View
- See Places in Immersive View
- Discover Landmark Icons
- View from a 45-Degree Angle
- Find Businesses and Shops
- Navigate Inside Buildings
- Create Your Own Maps with My Maps
- Become a Google Local Guide
- See Earth Change with Timelapse
- Mobile App
- See Also
How Google Maps Works
Google Maps has many cool features to help you explore and navigate.
Get Directions and Use Public Transport
Google Maps helps you find the best way to get from one place to another. You can choose directions for driving, walking, biking, or public transport. Google works with over 800 public transport companies around the world. This helps you find bus, train, or subway routes easily.
In 2019, Google Maps added an "incognito mode" for privacy. It also has "eyes-free" walking directions. This means you can get directions without looking at your screen. In 2020, they added routes for bike-sharing services too.
Check Traffic Conditions
Since 2007, Google Maps has shown live traffic. It uses colors on the roads to show how fast cars are moving. Green means traffic is flowing well. Red means there's a lot of traffic or a jam.
Google gets this traffic information from many phone users. It uses their anonymous location data to figure out traffic speeds. You can choose in your phone settings if you want to share your location data.
Explore with Street View
Google Street View lets you see 360-degree pictures from street level. It launched in 2007 with pictures from five U.S. cities. Now, it covers thousands of places worldwide. Google cars with special cameras drive around to collect these images.
When Street View first came out, some people worried about privacy. Google now blurs faces and license plates in the pictures. This helps protect people's privacy.
Google also has "Underwater Street View." This lets you explore places like the Great Barrier Reef in 3D. Special cameras take pictures every 3 seconds underwater. In 2017, you could even explore the International Space Station with Street View!
See Places in Immersive View
At a Google event in 2022, they announced "Immersive View." This feature creates 3D images using Street View pictures. It lets you feel like you're really there. It started in five cities and will come to more places later.
Discover Landmark Icons
In 2019, Google Maps added icons for famous city attractions. These icons make it easier to spot popular places on the map. For example, you might see an icon for the Eiffel Tower in Paris or the Statue of Liberty in New York City. This feature helps you find cool spots in many cities around the world.
View from a 45-Degree Angle
In 2009, Google added a new view called "45° imagery." This gives you a "bird's-eye view" of cities. It's like looking down from an airplane at an angle. This view helps you see buildings and landmarks more clearly.
Find Businesses and Shops
Google Maps lists many businesses, like restaurants, shops, and offices. Business owners can add their information, like addresses and phone numbers. Google also has teams that check and correct these listings. This helps make sure the information is accurate.
Business owners can also add photos and other details to their profiles. This helps people find them easily on Google Maps.
In 2011, Google Maps added indoor maps. This means you can find your way inside large buildings. These include airports, museums, shopping malls, and universities. Google encourages building owners to share their floor plans. This helps them add more indoor maps.
If a building has many floors, you can click a special button to see different levels. This is helpful for finding your way in big places like subway stations.
Create Your Own Maps with My Maps
"My Maps" is a feature that lets you make your own custom maps. You can add special points, lines, and shapes to the map. You can also write notes and add pictures. You can use these maps for yourself or share them with friends.
Become a Google Local Guide
Google Local Guides is a program where users can help improve Google Maps. It's like being a volunteer map editor! You can add reviews, photos, and videos of places. You can also correct information, like if a business has wheelchair access.
When you contribute, you earn points and badges. The more you contribute, the higher your level becomes. This program helps keep Google Maps accurate and up-to-date for everyone.
See Earth Change with Timelapse
"Earth Timelapse," launched in 2021, lets you see how our planet has changed over 37 years. Google combined 15 million satellite images to create these amazing time-lapse videos. It shows how cities grow, glaciers melt, and forests change over time.
Mobile App
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Screenshot
Screenshot of Google Maps on Android 11
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| Original author(s) | |
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| Initial release | September 23, 2008 |
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Google Maps has a popular app for phones and tablets. It was first released for Android phones in 2008. For a while, Apple's iPhones used Google Maps as their main map app. But in 2012, Apple made its own map service. Google then released its own Google Maps app for iPhones, and it was downloaded over ten million times in just two days!
App Features
The Google Maps app for phones has many useful features. It offers turn-by-turn navigation, which tells you exactly where to go. It also includes Street View and public transport information.
In 2014, Google added a feature to download maps for offline use. This means you can use maps even when you don't have internet. In 2017, the app started showing how hard it might be to find parking in some cities. It can also remember where you parked your car!
In 2017, Google added a special "two-wheeler mode" for users in India. This mode helps people on motorcycles or scooters find the best routes. In 2019, a "live view" feature used augmented reality. This shows directions right on the road through your phone's camera.
In 2021, Google added a feature to draw missing roads on the map. This helps improve the map for everyone. In 2022, the app started showing how much tolls would cost on a route. This feature is available in the USA, India, Japan, and Indonesia.
Google Maps Go
Google Maps Go is a lighter version of the app. It's made for phones that aren't as powerful. It was released in 2018 and has been installed over 10 million times.
See Also
In Spanish: Google Maps para niños
- OpenStreetMap
- Wikimapia, a project that combines Google Maps with a wiki to describe places.
