As autumnal weather sets in for those in the northern hemisphere, Google Maps has published a study on how a handful of countries spent their summers.
The Google Maps team has reviewed the summer search activity on its portal maps.google.com in several countries including the US, France, Italy, Mexico and the UK.
The team took into consideration the searches carried out between the end of May and the beginning of September. The study reflects the top-rising searches as well as often-searched landmarks.
Here some of the results:
The most popular searches for France were camping, beach and lake. But the French were also interested in parks, college, golf, shopping malls and flea markets. The most popular landmarks and places during the summer were Cap d'Agde, the seaside resort on the Mediterranean sea, the northern region of Normandy and tennis's French Open, Roland Garros, taking place in Paris in late May.
In India, the most popular searches between the end of May and the beginning of September were tourist attractions, railway & metro stations and religious places. Among the most popular landmarks was Yamuna Expressway, India's longest expressway. The Taj Mahal came in fourth position.
In Italy the top searches included ristorante/trattoria, villagio (village) and fiere (fairs). Among the landmarks and places, Toscana (Tuscany), Ostia and Cinque Terre were among the most searched this summer.
Summer in Mexico was spent apparently drinking coffee, going to the bank or getting ready for university, according to the top searches for the country.
In the Netherlands, amusement park followed by cycling routes and the beach featured as the most searched in the country. Efteling, one of the oldest amusement parks in the world came in top position in the landmark and places category, followed by the Bisesbosch, one of the largest national parks in the country and Vondelpark, a public urban park in Amsterdam.
In Spain, la playa (or beach) featured as the most searched term in the country, followed by apartment and pool. Within the landmark and places category, Costa Brava in Catalonia, the Portuguese region of Algarve and the city of Ponferrada are among the top three.
In the US the top search queries included paintball, campground and beach, but also golf courses, hotels and ice cream. California's national parks topped the list of the most famous landmarks with those of Death Valley National Park, Redwood National Park in California and Yosemite National Park occupying the three first positions.
Working out and drinking were apparently the most popular activities in the UK this summer with squash, gym and bars as the rising searches in Google Maps. Wembley Stadium and the Olympic stadium featured in the landmark list.
