During the Council of Elrond scene in Peter Jackson’s 2001 film “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” Boromir pointed out that “One does not simply walk into Mordor.” Mordor is the fictional universe of Middle-earth that is the dwelling place of Sauron. It turns out that if you enter The Shire as your starting point and Mordor as the destination in the walking directions of Google Maps, there is a caution message that says “Use caution – One does not simply walk into Mordor.” Very nice Easter egg, Google Maps.

The Crisis Response team at Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) has created a Google Map to allow people to track Hurricane Irene which is traveling up the east coast. Other resources that you should consider are the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Hurricane Center, and the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA).

Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) has added the weather forecast as part of a layer on Google Maps. The weather layer displays the current temperatures and conditions across the world. To add the weather layer, hover over the widget on the upper right corner of Google Maps and select the weather layer from the list of options. As you zoom out, you will see a map with current weather conditions from Weather.com for various places. Icons denote rain, clouds, sun, etc. Clicking on the weather icon for a city shows additional details. Check out a demo video below:

World of Fourcraft turns NYC checkins into a digital game of Risk, with users battling over which borough owns which neighborhoods. Mashable reports that there are currently about 100 players in the game, which combines Foursquare checkins with Google Maps APIs to calculate who owns what part of New York City. Users must swear allegiance to a borough when they sign up for the game.

Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) has added My Places as a feature. So far Google Maps has allowed people to star places on Google Maps, rate them on Google Places, and add them to customized maps with your own icons through My Maps. Now there is a “My Places” tab on Google Maps. My Places now allows you to interact with saved maps, starred locations, and rated businesses.

About 40% of Google Maps traffic is through mobile devices. This proves how important it is for Google to provide a seamless experience for their service on the iPhone and Android devices. Now when you visit maps.google.com on one of those devices, you will be offered several new features:

Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) has launched a new service called Google Map Maker. Google Map Maker allows the local community to update maps as new venues open. For example, if a mom-and-pop coffee shop opens in the strip mall next to your house, you will know about it immediately. But Google Maps would have to wait until the shop announces they’re open for business on Google Places.

In July 2008 Nancy Cooper went for a jog in Cary, North Carolina. However she disappeared. Her body was found in a drainage ditch near Holly Springs Road and Fielding Drive outside of Cary town limits. After an autopsy, it was discovered that Nancy was strangled.