Globe program like Google Earth, but with physical or political map?

Question

Can I have the same program as Google Earth or Google Maps in satellite images mode, but which can

(1) display Earth without distortions (i.e. in normal 3D view)

(2) display image like this

or like this

i.e. not satellite images, but with logical boundaries of countries or physical features?

Answer 1

Marble is a good alternative for google maps. it has the 3d and atlas view. it has

• Street Maps
• Satellite Maps
• Topographic Maps
• Educational Maps

Answer 2

I would suggest taking a look at QGIS - you can build maps at any scale with any data that you choose and there are huge numbers of data sets available.

• Free, Gratis & Open Source
• Cross Platform
• Model just about any geographical data that you can think of.
• Lots of open data sources of information.