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By Micah McCartney
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Google Maps is one of the most successful apps in history, with more than 10 billion downloads on the Google Play Store alone and coverage in over 250 countries and territories.
Yet in a handful of countries—most of them authoritarian—the Alphabet-owned app is either blocked outright or subject to restrictions that significantly limit its functionality.
Newsweek reached out to Google by email with a request for comment.
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North Korea
Google Maps and most internet services are entirely inaccessible to the general public. Only select government officials and researchers have limited access, often under strict surveillance, according to accounts by defectors to South Korea. Some ordinary citizens have access to the country's heavily censored domestic intranet.
China
Google Maps, along with YouTube, Instagram, and other major U.S.-based platforms, is unavailable in China due to government restrictions known as the "Great Firewall." Domestically developed Amap is the dominant navigation app, and both Amap and Baidu Maps provide public transport directions and real-time traffic information.
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Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan also operates a strict internet censorship regime. While Google services—including Maps—are not officially banned, access is heavily restricted, with slow speeds and frequent government blocks reported. Visitors are recommended to rely on offline maps.
Cuba
Maps is accessible, but lacks real-time features and turn-by-turn navigation, likely due to the country’s sporadic infrastructure. It’s recommended to download offline maps for the areas you plan to visit before arriving.
Syria
Maps services remain limited in the war-torn state, with map data reportedly missing or out of date in many areas, and turn-by-turn navigation unavailable. Following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December and removal of U.S. sanctions earlier this year, these features, and other Google services, are expected to be gradually restored.
South Korea
South Korea stands out on this list as a thriving democracy and longtime U.S. ally. Despite being a highly tech-savvy society, Google has struggled to offer full navigation features.
South Korean authorities consider high-resolution mapping data a national security asset and bar it from export to servers outside the country. Google has so far refused to establish the required servers within South Korea.
In September, the company agreed for the first time to South Korea’s request to mask GPS coordinates from users inside or outside the country, after previously agreeing to blur images of sensitive sites, such as military facilities.
On Tuesday, South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport delayed its decision for the third time, asking Google to "submit supplemental documentation" within the 60 business days, or by February 5, 2026.
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