View the world and explore a virtual globe with Marble Portable

Marble Portable is a free globe app that can show satellite imagery and roads. It can even calculate routes for you.

Installation is simple. It can either be installed in it's own folder on a computer or USB memory key or installed into the Portable Apps Launcher. Click on the Launcher icon, Options and then Install a new app. Follow the rest of the installation wizard, accepting all the options.

Navigating the globe is simple, click and drag to move it around and double-click to zoom in. It is also possible to search for towns and cities so they are marked on the map.

We particularly liked the option to change the theme of the globe from a satellite view to an Open Street map, one showing rain or temperature and even a world map from 1689.

The Open Street map is most useful when combined with the Routing option. Two or more points can be defined on the map and Marble will give directions between them. Sadly there doesn't appear to be any way of exporting these directions but it's still a useful first step.

Map views can be exported as image files, which should prove useful for school projects.