For questions about Google's web application for showing maps in a web browser. Questions about smartphone apps or development using the Google Maps API belong elsewhere.
Google Maps is a free web mapping service application and technology provided by Google, that powers many Google apps as well as maps embedded on 3rd party websites through the Google Maps API.
The application was first announced on the Google Blog on February 8, 2005. Later, in June 2005, Google released the Google Maps API.