Google Earth Wikipedia

Leo Migdal

-Dec 14, 2025, 3:57 AM

Google Earth is a web and computer program created by Google that renders a 3D representation of Earth based primarily on satellite imagery. The program maps the Earth by superimposing satellite images, aerial photography, and GIS data onto a 3D globe, allowing users to see cities and landscapes from various angles. Users can explore the globe by entering addresses and coordinates, or by using a keyboard or mouse. The program can also be downloaded on a smartphone or tablet, using a touch screen or stylus to navigate. Users may use the program to add their own data using Keyhole Markup Language and upload them through various sources, such as forums or blogs. Google Earth is able to show various kinds of images overlaid on the surface of the Earth and is also a Web Map Service client.

In 2019, Google revealed that Google Earth covers more than 97 percent of the world.[8] In addition to Earth navigation, Google Earth provides a series of other tools through the desktop application, including a measure distance tool. Additional globes for the Moon and Mars are available, as well as a tool for viewing the night sky. A flight simulator game is also included. Other features allow users to view photos from various places uploaded to Panoramio, information provided by Wikipedia on some locations, and Street View imagery. The web-based version of Google Earth also includes Voyager, a feature that periodically adds in-program tours, often presented by scientists and documentarians.

Google Earth has been viewed by some as a threat to privacy and national security, leading to the program being banned in multiple countries.[9] Some countries have requested that certain areas be obscured in... The core technology behind Google Earth was originally developed at Intrinsic Graphics in the late 1990s. At the time, the company was developing 3D gaming software libraries.[10] As a demo of their 3D software, they created a spinning globe that could be zoomed into, similar to the Powers of Ten... Fortunes for the company changed in early 2003 during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, when Dave Lorenzini (Director at Keyhole) enticed CNN, ABC, CBS and other major news networks to use their sophisticated 3D... Aw snap! Google Earth isn't supported on your browser.

You may need to update your browser or use a different browser. Please see our system requirements for more information. Chrome is a great choice and you can download it here. Or if you're feeling adventurous, you can try Earth anyway by choosing an option below. Google Earth is a virtual globe program that was first called Earth Viewer. Keyhole, Inc.

created it in 2001. It has been owned by Google since 2004.[2] The program maps the surface of Earth by combining pictures taken by satellites and airplanes. There are also 3D maps where users can look at areas from different angles. It is quite similar to Google Maps. Google Earth is interactive and lets the user move the globe, and look at satellite imagery with overlays of roads, buildings, geographic features, and more.[3] Teachers can use it to improve students' visual literacy.

Students can use it to develop a background for three-dimensional and cultural differences.[3] Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all of Earth's water is contained in its global ocean, covering 70.8% of Earth's crust. The remaining 29.2% of Earth's crust is land, most of which is located in the form of continental landmasses within Earth's land hemisphere. Most of Earth's land is at least somewhat humid and covered by vegetation, while large ice sheets at Earth's polar deserts retain more water than Earth's groundwater, lakes, rivers, and atmospheric water combined.

Earth's crust consists of slowly moving tectonic plates, which interact to produce mountain ranges, volcanoes, and earthquakes. Earth has a liquid outer core that generates a magnetosphere capable of deflecting most of the destructive solar winds and cosmic radiation. Earth has a dynamic atmosphere, which sustains Earth's surface conditions and protects it from most meteoroids and UV-light at entry. It is composed primarily of nitrogen and oxygen. Water vapor is widely present in the atmosphere, forming clouds that cover most of the planet. The water vapor acts as a greenhouse gas and, together with other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, particularly carbon dioxide (CO2), creates the conditions for both liquid surface water and water vapor to persist...

This process maintains the current average surface temperature of 14.76 °C (58.57 °F), at which water is liquid under normal atmospheric pressure. Differences in the amount of captured energy between geographic regions (as with the equatorial region receiving more sunlight than the polar regions) drive atmospheric and ocean currents, producing a global climate system with different... Earth is rounded into an ellipsoid with a circumference of about 40,000 kilometers (24,900 miles). It is the densest planet in the Solar System. Of the four rocky planets, it is the largest and most massive. Earth is about eight light-minutes (1 AU) away from the Sun and orbits it, taking a year (about 365.25 days) to complete one revolution.

Earth rotates around its own axis in slightly less than a day (in about 23 hours and 56 minutes). Earth's axis of rotation is tilted with respect to the perpendicular to its orbital plane around the Sun, producing seasons. Earth is orbited by one permanent natural satellite, the Moon, which orbits Earth at 384,400 km (238,855 mi)—1.28 light seconds—and is roughly a quarter as wide as Earth. The Moon's gravity helps stabilize Earth's axis, causes tides and gradually slows Earth's rotation. Likewise, Earth's gravitational pull has already made the Moon's rotation tidally locked, keeping the same near side facing Earth. Earth, like most other bodies in the Solar System, formed about 4.5 billion years ago from gas and dust in the early Solar System.

During the first billion years of Earth's history, the ocean formed and then life developed within it. Life spread globally and has been altering Earth's atmosphere and surface, leading to the Great Oxidation Event two billion years ago. Humans emerged 300,000 years ago in Africa and have spread across every continent on Earth. Humans depend on Earth's biosphere and natural resources for their survival, but have increasingly impacted the planet's environment. Humanity's current impact on Earth's climate and biosphere is unsustainable, threatening the livelihood of humans and many other forms of life, and causing widespread extinctions. The Modern English word Earth developed, via Middle English, from an Old English noun most often spelled eorðe.[22] It has cognates in every Germanic language, from which Proto-Germanic *erþō has been reconstructed.

In its earliest attestation, the word eorðe was used to translate the many senses of Latin terra and Greek gē: the ground, its soil, dry land, the human world, the surface of the world... As with Roman Terra (or Tellus) and Greek Gaia, Earth may have been a personified goddess in Germanic paganism: late Norse mythology included Jörð ('Earth'), a giantess often given as the mother of Thor.[23] This is a category with articles relating to the program Google Earth. The following 5 pages are in this category, out of 5 total. This list may not reflect recent changes. We’re taking a look back at the major launches, moments and milestones that made Google Earth what it is today.

Google Earth is celebrating 20 years of helping people explore the world. You can now access historical Street View imagery within Google Earth. Professionals can also use new features to evaluate building designs and access city-level insights. Google Earth is 20 years old and it helps people see the world. It has lots of pictures from planes, satellites, and even the street. People use it to learn about the Earth and help their communities.

Now, you can even see old Street View pictures on Google Earth. Okay, here are three haiku summarizing the Google Earth article, mentioning relevant Google products and services: Earth turns twenty now, Google Earth, Street View expands, History unfolds. Discover how you can work with Google Earth by exploring the projects that geospatial developers have built and shared with the world. Cities around the world are growing rapidly. See how different regions are handling increasing urban populations.

Discover the wonders found under the sea.Underwater Earth and The Ocean Agency After the sun goes down, there’s more to explore.Nasa Understand Londoners' exposure to air pollution.Environmental Defense Fund

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