Tenerife is not on the Google Map

Section of the TF-436 as it passes through the El Palmar valley Ogle Earth, a blog about Google Earth, alerted me to the fact that various new European Google maps sites, including maps.google.es are now officially live.

Hummm ... Well, if you go to the front page of the site for Spain, the first thing, glaringly conspicuous by it's absence is any mention of Tenerife or the Canary Islands, at all.

It seems that we do not exist. We're a figment of our own imagination or a legend in our own lunchtime, or something. They have the Balearic islands. They don't even include the Canaries, which are too far south to be in the shot, in an inset, as is the usual case.

Nevertheless, if you type "Tenerife" into the search box, the Canary Islands map appears. And, if you type in "buenavista del norte" (without quotes), you will zoom straight to the top left-hand corner of Tenerife to Buenavista del Norte and, even El Palmar is shown.

One can't then help oneself from doing silly things like using the "Cómo Llegar" (How to get here) function. For no reason at all, I decided my imaginary traveller would start in Manchester, England. What I really wanted to do was to trip Google up and see if it would insist on folk getting their feet wet coming to an island, but it coped quite admirably.

After coming down the M6/M1/M20, it takes you to the Dover Channel Tunnel. Then, after a route which avoids the Paris traffic, by diverting around Nantes and Bordeaux to Burgos in Spain, continues via Madrid, Seville and onwards to the Cadiz Ferry.

The only bit I couldn't follow was the last part in Santa Cruz, which does suggest at one point continuing on the Calle Peatonal Pitera. Hopefully, you would be on foot, because I reckon peatonal means pedestrian street. But, if you were walking, I think this journey might just take you a little longer than the 2 days 19 hours that Google estimate. :)

Google's function also did good on a journey from Santa Cruz to Buenavista del Norte, at least it used the available roads. I remember I tried this once at MSN and their map chose a direct route NORTH of Puerto de la Cruz. In other words across the sea.

What's the photo? It's a section of the TF-436 as it passes through the El Palmar valley. Heck, I've only been here seven years, but it wasn't until I looked at the Google map today that I found out what number the main road is passing just below my house. :)

Google Maps for Spain (In Spanish) Via: Ogle Earth

Tags: Tenerife, Canary Islands, Canarias
From: Secret Tenerife Blog | Tenerife Daily Photo