Google offers the world at the click of a mouse

0 Comments | AFP, August, 2005

NEW YORK (AFP) — The world at your fingertip, with the click of a computer mouse.

That's what Internet giant Google is offering in a new program allowing web surfers to fly around the world in a matter of seconds, hopping from one destination to another across the sky.

In "Google Earth," a user can download a picture of Earth, pick a spot on the planet and navigate through satellite and airplane photos of cities.

The resolution of images is clear enough to recognize major landmarks, such as Beijing's Forbidden City. You can zoom in as close as 300 meters (980 feet) from the ground and recognize clusters of people.

If Rome's coliseum is your next choice, you can watch the screen fly over the snowy Himalayan mountain chain, the Caspian Sea and...