Google Street View makes ‘biggest update yet’

Google has added extra imagery to its 13 established Street View countries in its “biggest update yet”. The countries include Denmark, Ireland, Italy, Spain, South Africa, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Romania, Taiwan, Japan, the United States and the United Kingdom.

Users can now enjoy everything from the landscapes of Tuscany to popular California landmarks like the Golden Gate Bridge or the Getty Museum. Wine lovers can zoom across to Europe and see Italy’s famous Chianti region and other beautiful areas of Tuscany or the increasingly famous wine regions in South Africa’s Western Cape. Across the Mediterranean in Spain, the home of another renowned wine is viewable with the addition of the Rioja province.

Meanwhile, across the other side of the world, you can view the beautiful Pacific Ocean from Japan’s Hahajima, one of the remote Ogasawara islands.

In addition, this latest batch of street-level imagery includes higher resolution panoramic views of places throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles and San Diego. This is great for both locals and potential visitors of these popular California destinations, who can now see even more realistic views of landmarks like the Golden Gate Bridge or the Getty Museum.

The southernmost tip of Africa is also now part of Street View, with the inclusion of Cape Agulhas, where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet. Coastal fans can take a drive through the beautiful West Coast National Park, check out imagery of Saldanha Bay, an important natural harbour and port town, or visit Port Edward.

Substantial additions to Street View have been made for South Africa’s provinces: Limpopo, Western Cape, Northern Cape, Free State, North West, and Mpumalanga provinces.

Among many other new additions, users who are more interested in urban centres can explore Polokwane, the capital of Limpopo Province; Mokopane, one of South Africa’s richest agricultural areas; Mthatha, not far from Former South African President Nelson Mandela’s home village; or Harrismith, a wool producing district that is also home to the largest truck stop in the Southern Hemisphere.

“We are delighted to be adding a host of new South African imagery to Google Street View, both rural and urban,” says Julie Taylor, Communications Manager for Google Sub-Saharan Africa.

“Whether you want to visit the edge of the Kalahari desert or coastal Margate, drive through the Karoo, or just check out parking options in Polokwane, Street View has something for everyone.”

Some special locations on Street View:

For sports lovers:

• Soccer City
• Loftus Versfeld
• Moses Mabhida
• Peter Mokaba
• ABSA Durban
• Mbombela
• Wanderers
• St Georges
• Supersport Park

For outdoors lovers:

• Cape peninsula
• Natal Midlands
• Kruger
• Cape Agulhas
• West Coast National Park
• Addo
• Tsitsikamma
• Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens
• Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, Midlands
• Tsitsikamma
• Karoo
• Wilderness
• Harkerville Forest
• Kagga Kamma Nature Reserve
• Blyde River Canyon

For city lovers:

• Nelson Mandela Bridge
• Vilakazi Street
• Gandhi Square
• Walter Sisulu Square
• Newtown and Africa Museum
• Adderley St and St George’s Cathedral
• Beach Road, Cape Town
• Company Gardens
• Apartheid Museum
• Turffontein Race Course
• Settlers Park

Some of the wineries currently on Street View:

• Bouchard Finlayson
• De Rust Estate
• De Wetshof
• Fairview
• Jordan Wines
• Klein Constantia
• Meerlust
• Morgenster
• Rustenberg
• Vilafonte Vineyards
• Warwick Wine Estate