Explore the World with 25 New Themes for iGoogle

Not that many people use Google's customizable homepage, iGoogle, when compared with the number of people using the search engine, though 'many' is a very relative term in this case. Most employ it to get quick access to the information they need, but there is also the motivation of standing out a bit. With millions of users, though, it's not that easy to be 'unique.' One way of helping with this is with more themes, and that's exactly what Google is providing. iGoogle just got 25 new themes in a newly created Travel section.

Google has partnered with several organizations and companies to provide these themes, but also looked for inside help and created a few themes based on imagery available in Google Earth.

"Today, we’re excited to announce a set of new themes, tailored to the world traveler in all of us. These new themes, focused on destinations all over the globe, allow you to experience beautiful landscapes, historic monuments, stunning beaches, iconic cities and other picturesque sites — right from your homepage," Marissa Mayer, VP Search Products & User Experience, one of the top people at Google, writes.

"To bring you this imagery, we've partnered with a few leading organizations including National Geographic Society and LIFE, who photograph some of the most breathtaking destinations on earth. Lonely Planet, UNESCO and visiteurope.com have also shared a selection of incredible images," she adds.

It's easy to access the new themes, just click on the "Change theme from ..." link and select the new Travel section. There are plenty of interesting locations and stunning imagery to choose from and, if you just can't decide, you can choose a dynamic theme like World Passport Sampler. Themes with great vacation destinations like Greece, Egypt or India are also available.

Google Earth is the source of a couple of the new travel themes. With the 3D Views in the Google Earth theme you can 'visit' several great locations around the world, like the Great Pyramid of Giza or the Taj Mahal. And, if you're feeling more urban, you can choose the 3D Cities in the Google Earth theme, which features some of the busiest cities on Earth, New York and Tokyo, but also history-rich locations like Athens and Vienna.