It seemed apt, given that this site uses Google Maps, to put up a panorama of the Google headquarters. This picture shows the outside of Google HQ in silicon valley. What looks like a stitching error in the panorama is the gap between Google Building 43 and the next building of the Googleplex.

Google Inc Googleplex - Mountain View visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Google Inc Googleplex' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from California.

Google started out as a research project by Larry Page, who was soon joined by Sergey Brin, at Stanford University in January 1996. The search engine was originally called 'BackRub' as it used back links to rate sites. The name 'Google' comes from the mathematical term 'googol'. The domain google.com was registered in 1997, and Google Inc was formally incorporated on September 7, 1998. By March 1999, Google Inc moved into offices in Palo Alto, but quickly outgrew them. In 2003, Google moved to rented offices in Mountain View at 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway. This space was rented from silicon Graphics. In 2006 Google brought the site from Silicon Graphics for $319 million.

The headquarters of Google Inc has become known as the Googleplex. This reflects the fact that it is in fact a kind of multipex, and is made of multiple buildings, a kind of multiplex of Google buildings. The name is again a play on mathematics, with a googolplex being 1 followed by a googol of zeros.

This panorama shows the outdoor lunch area of the Googleplex of Google Inc. This is covered with different coloured umbrellas. Beyond this is an open square with a beach volleyball court. Google Building 43 lies to the south. This contains the main Googleplex lobby, just beyond the dining area. To the west of this lies Google Buildings 42 and 42, behind a grassed area and volleyball field. Google Building 41 is to the north. To the east is a car park and beyond this is Charleston Park. The Googleplex extends to incorporate more buildings further south and future developments are earmarked for a lot to the east of Charleston Park.

Google Inc.
1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
Mountain View, CA 94043
Phone: +1 650-253-0000
Fax: +1 650-253-0001

From San Fransisco and Palo Alto take the 101 south. Turn north at North Rengstorff and proceed north onto Amphetheatre Parkway.