When I heard that Google Maps had expanded its coverage to Europe, I thought of my friend Ramona Morel who recently moved to a new condominium in Zurich, Switzerland. I went to Google Maps, typed in her address, and didn't get the map I expected.

I thought, "Maybe I need to type her street without a number," so I typed Sophie Taeuber-Strasse, Zurich, Switzerland, and Google Maps responded:

Your search for Sophie Taeuber-Strasse near Zurich Switzerland did not match any locations.

That was frustrating. I did a couple of tests of addresses I knew in other countries in Europe and most of them worked. This didn't make any sense to me.

Then I read the Google Maps in Europe article on The Google Blog and read that Google Maps is only fully operational in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK.

Other countries have street-level maps, but apparently not driving directions or integrated local business searches. It looks like Google will roll out a localized Google Maps website as they get these features implemented in each country.

Now I know to look at The Google Blog whenever I have a question about the specifics of a new Google service.

Technorati Tags: Google Maps, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK.