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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsGoogle’s January 2013 North Korea update added more detailed map data, including road names and points of interest contributed by citizen cartographers using Google Map Maker. It was not an announcement that Google had newly launched a Terrain layer. A HotHardware report the next day noted that Street View was unavailable in North Korea at the time; that is a historical observation, not confirmation of present-day coverage.
What Google changed in January 2013
Google announced on January 28, 2013, that a more detailed map of North Korea was live in Google Maps. The company credited a community of citizen cartographers who used Google Map Maker to add details such as road names and points of interest. Google also said the map was imperfect and that further approved Map Maker updates would appear in Google Maps. Google’s January 28 announcement was written by Jayanth Mysore, then Senior Product Manager for Google Map Maker.
Mysore described the work as an ongoing effort: “We know this map is not perfect — one of the exciting things about maps is that the world is a constantly changing place.” Google added: “From this point forward, any further approved updates to the North Korean maps in Google Map Maker will also appear on Google Maps.”
What “Terrain” means in Google Maps
Google Maps Help describes the Terrain layer as a way to inspect landscape elevation. Contour lines overlaid on the map show elevation, while gray numbers show altitude. This is topographic information, not ground-level photography. Google Maps Help: Use layers to find places, traffic, terrain, and transit explains the map layers.
The wording of the 2013 headline can therefore be misleading if read as a precise description of a new product feature. Google’s announcement concerned more detailed North Korean map data; it did not specifically say that a new Terrain layer had been added.
Terrain and Street View are different features
| Feature | What it shows | How Google describes it |
|---|---|---|
| Terrain | Landscape elevation and altitude | Contour lines show elevation; gray numbers show altitude. Google Maps Help |
| Street View | Ground-level imagery where available | Blue lines overlaid on the map show where Street View is available. Google Maps Help |
These features answer different questions. A map can provide elevation information without offering Street View imagery, and the presence of terrain data does not establish that ground-level imagery exists.
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What is known about North Korea and Street View
HotHardware’s January 29, 2013 report on the update said North Korea had no Street View option at that time: HotHardware’s January 29, 2013 report. That report establishes what was noted then, not what Google Maps offers today. The Google Help page explains how to identify Street View availability, but the cited sources do not establish current coverage in North Korea or explain why Street View was unavailable in 2013.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.A later map-styling change was separate
In 2020, Google described a separate update that made natural features easier to distinguish by using computer vision to identify arid, icy, forested, and mountainous regions in satellite imagery and assign them colors. Google’s 2020 explanation of its more detailed, colorful map concerns map styling at broad scale; it is not evidence that the 2013 North Korea update introduced Terrain or changed Street View coverage. Google said that 2020 styling was available in all 220 countries and territories it supported, covered over 100 million square kilometers of land, and reached over 98 percent of the world’s population. Those figures describe the 2020 styling update, not North Korean map completeness or Street View coverage.
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