# WTF with this Google Map? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 24, 2011, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-with-this-google-map/579552 "2011-04-24T12:34:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-with-this-google-map/579552/21 "2011-04-25T16:55:04Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Why not? That’s field hockey, by the way. And you may not know what netball is. People outside Australia almost certainly won’t know that, in terms of the number of players participating, netball is the most popular sport in Australia. And this is in spite of being only played by women and girls. (Men and boys play basketball instead.) ---
**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-with-this-google-map/579552/22 "2011-04-25T17:32:49Z")
[QUOTE=Giles] … in terms of the number of players participating, netball is the most popular sport in Australia. [/QUOTE] Just edging out kangaroo boxing? ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-with-this-google-map/579552/23 "2011-04-25T22:41:34Z")
It’s not a copyright trap. Until recently you’d see a similar thing in Google Maps of the UK, where you suddenly get labels in French. Note how the label is on a little black dot, which means it’s a place that has been added as a “point of interest” rather than being part of the base map. Google lets users add points of interest, and it seems they share the data internationally so you often get labels in the wrong language. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-with-this-google-map/579552/24 "2011-04-25T22:53:24Z")
A girl I met recently, who is a PE teacher in Australia, was telling me about playing a game of netball with the high school girls. Due to her accent, and my having no idea what the hell netball is, I thought she was saying that she was playing ‘nipple’ with school girls. I was intrigued. After resolving the misunderstanidng, she tried to explain what netball is - I couldn’t follow her, sounds weird. ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-with-this-google-map/579552/25 "2011-04-25T23:01:14Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > in terms of the number of players participating, netball is the most popular sport in Australia. True with a qualifier: it’s the most popular _team_ sport. I believe tennis and golf are more popular (though not if you count women only). ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-with-this-google-map/579552/26 "2011-04-25T23:02:20Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > I suspect you mean the Greek alphabet. > > Oh, you’re right, it is Russian. Do you mean the Cyrillic alphabet? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-with-this-google-map/579552/27 "2011-04-26T00:26:30Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > Do you mean the Cyrillic alphabet? I don’t know what I mean. I’m best left out of it. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-with-this-google-map/579552/28 "2011-04-26T00:31:26Z")
> [@Darth\_Panda](#): > > After resolving the misunderstanidng, she tried to explain what netball is - I couldn’t follow her, sounds weird. Essentially, it’s a women’s sport, pretty much like basketball, but without the running around or bouncing of the ball. My favourite part is the short skirts. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-with-this-google-map/579552.md?page=1)