Google Maps Is Available in 40 More Countries via a Local Domain

Google has announced that it is expanding the number of local domains for Google Maps. In one fell swoop, Google has added over 40 new domains for the site, making it easier for people around the world to use the mapping tool and get results catering to their location.

"Back in 2005 we started with one domain, .com, and now almost six years later we are happy to announce today that we are adding more than 40 new domains on Google Maps," Google's Jarda Bengl writes.

"In total we have more than 130 countries with their customized maps domains and we support 60+ user interface languages," Google said.

With this expansion, Google Maps is available in most of the places where Google has a local presence, in the form of a dedicated website with a national domain name.

Localized domains make the site friendlier for new users in particular, especially those new to the web itself. Google Maps is also available in more than 60 languages, making the experience more immersive for many users.

But local domains do more than just provide a better experience, they also make it easier for Google to serve search results which are more relevant to the users in any of the countries supported.

Especially for Google Maps, local results are almost always going to be more relevant than global ones and people will most likely search for places near them.

Google has provided a map highlighting the places where Google Maps is available via a local domain as well as the new countries added to the list.

"A Maps domain is a customized entry point to our maps, tailored for a articular country, which makes searches for places and localities in the country more efficient. For example when someone in Argentina searches for 'Córdoba' we know that he probably meant the one in Argentina and not the other Córdoba in Spain," Google explained.