{Update: Go here for more information on Google Maps of South Africa}

In the same week that the tickets for the 2010 Soccer World Cup went on sale, Google blessed us with a significant update to their coverage of South Africa.

Coincidence? Well, who knows?

We’ve been hearing rumors and seeing some nice updates to the satellite imagery, but rumors are just that and photographic updates do come by once in a while anyway.

The type of updates to the ‘maps’ section of Google Maps (as opposed to the ’satellite’ section), indicates something completely different in terms of Google’s intent.
It paves the way for Streetview, transit maps, and a multitude of very cool mobile applications – all of which we were unable to use in South Africa because of the low detail levels of Google Maps of the country.

The first two improvements we picked up were:

• National Parks have been marked
  • This looks particularly cool, because you are suddenly reminded about the fact that South Africa has put aside huge pieces of land for conservation.
• The detail is really impressive
  • I tested this by going to one of the roads I had the most difficulty to find – ever!
  • We had a very difficult time trying to find the gravel road which leads to the mysterious Lake Fundudzi in the Limpopo Province.
  • If Google put that road in, it would be a good indication of the detail level and accuracy of the maps

Click on the icons on the map to view the panoramic pictures we took at Lake Fundudzi and zoom out to explore 1500 more such images of South Africa.

If you have a look at the shots we took of the gravel road, you’ll understand why it’s impressive that this road made it to a map at all.

For South Africans who like putting 360º images of interesting places on interactive maps it looks like a very early Christmas indeed.

I’m sure we’ll find some more updates as we play along, but if you find something before we do, please drop us a note in the ‘comments’ section.

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