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Insights from Googlers into our products, technology, and the Google culture
Explore historic sites with the World Wonders Project
May 31, 2012
I’ve always been fascinated by famous historic and cultural sites from around the world. When I was a child, flipping through encyclopedias while researching for school projects, the thought of exploring these sites was a distant dream. With the new Google
World Wonders Project
, that dream is now a little closer for students and others around the globe.
The World Wonders Project enables you to discover 132 historic sites from 18 countries, including
Stonehenge
, the archaeological areas of
Pompeii
and the ancient
Kyoto temples
. In addition to man-made sites, you can explore natural places: wander the sandy dunes of Australia’s
Shark Bay
or gaze up at the rock domes of
Yosemite National Park
in California.
World Wonders uses Street View technology to take you on a virtual trip to each iconic site. Most could not be filmed by car, so we used camera-carrying trikes to pedal our way close enough. The site also includes 3D models and YouTube videos of the historical places, so you can dig in and get more information and a broader view of each site. We also partnered with several prestigious organizations, including
UNESCO
, the
World Monuments Fund
,
Getty Images
and
Ourplace
, who provided official information and photographs for many of the sites.
We hope World Wonders will prove to be a valuable educational resource for students and scholars. A selection of educational packages are available to download for classroom use; you can also share the site content with friends.
World Wonders is part of our commitment to preserving culture online and making it accessible to everyone. Under the auspices of the
Google Cultural Institute
, we’re publishing high resolution images of the
Dead Sea Scrolls
, digitizing the archives of famous figures such as
Nelson Mandela
and presenting thousands of artworks through the
Art Project
.
Find out more about the project on the World Wonders
YouTube channel
, and start exploring at
www.google.com/worldwonders
.
Posted by Melanie Blaschke, Product Marketing Manager, World Wonders Project
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