Google Santa Tracker facts for kids
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Homepage on December 25, 2022
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Type of site
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Santa tracking simulation, education and entertainment website |
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| Owner | Google, Inc. |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Launched | December 1, 2004 |
| Current status | Active |
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Content license
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Images/audio: CC BY 4.0 Other files: Apache License 2.0 |
Google Santa Tracker is a fun, annual website that celebrates Christmas. It was first launched by Google on December 1, 2004. The website pretends to track Santa Claus as he delivers presents around the world on Christmas Eve. It also offers many Christmas-themed games, videos, and learning activities. This exciting website was inspired by NORAD Tracks Santa, another service that has tracked Santa since 1955.
Contents
What is Google Santa Tracker?
Google Santa Tracker is a special online experience that comes alive every December. It lets you follow Santa's journey across the globe. Beyond tracking, it's a hub for festive fun and learning. You can explore different cultures and even learn basic computer coding.
How Google Santa Tracker Started
Early Beginnings and Partnerships
In 2004, some people at Google thought it would be great to show users exactly where Santa was. This idea came from the popular NORAD Tracks Santa service. Later that year, Google bought a company called Keyhole, Inc. This company had a program that was an early version of Google Earth. They created a special feature within it called the "Keyhole Santa Radar."
When it first launched, 25,000 people used this Santa tracking service. The next year, that number grew to 250,000! In 2007, NORAD and Google officially teamed up. They worked together on Santa tracking for five years.
Expanding Features and Learning
In 2015, Google made the Santa Tracker available for developers. This meant people could install it on Android phones and devices. They also created special watch faces for smartwatches.
By 2018, the Santa Tracker added many new things for students and teachers. On December 4, 2018, the website launched games and lessons. These taught about basic coding and Christmas traditions from different countries. The site also shared information about helpful groups like Khan Academy and Code.org. That year, you could even use Google Assistant to call Santa or hear a Christmas story. The website had over 42 million visitors in December 2018. In 2019, the site reported that Santa had delivered 5.6 billion presents!
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, Santa, Mrs. Claus, and the elves were shown wearing face masks. These masks were removed in 2022.
Exploring the Santa Tracker Website
Tracking Santa's Journey
Every Christmas Eve, the Google Santa Tracker starts its journey. It begins around midnight in the time zone furthest to the east (which is 10:00 AM UTC). The map shows Santa flying and then stopping in cities to deliver gifts. He seems to move about one time zone west each hour. Santa usually arrives in cities around midnight local time.
The website has special counters that show you many things. You can see how far Santa has traveled. It also tells you how long until he reaches your city. You can see the distance from your city and the total number of presents delivered. Santa is shown with his helpers, including his reindeer and elves. You might also spot penguins and a snowman helping out!
Fun Activities and City Facts
For each city Santa "visits," the website shares interesting facts. It shows a short summary from the city's Wikipedia page. You can also see pictures of Santa or his helpers in front of famous city landmarks. The website even tells you the accurate temperature of the city, using information from The Weather Channel.
Not every big city is visited. Sometimes smaller, more isolated towns are featured instead. Even when Santa is flying between cities, the present counter keeps going up. It increases faster when Santa is in a city with a larger population.
The 2016 version of the site had a "This Just In" section. This part showed photos that looked like they were from social media. They showed Santa and his helpers doing fun things. These included taking selfies and even pretending to be on the cover of Abbey Road. Users can also watch animated videos and play games. Since 2020, no new content has been added to the site's activities.
See also
In Spanish: Google Santa Tracker para niños
