Google is currently bringing its street view service to Malta, but its engineers might want to start with a more rudimentary task - ensuring Żebbuġ is actually labelled. 

While remote villages in the Amazon rainforest, communities in Greenland and Timbuktu, Mali are all clearly marked on the search giant's Maps product, Żebbuġ (population 11,904) is conspicuous by its absence. 

The town is delineated when running a specific search for it. But a casual browser scanning Malta's map could very easily miss it entirely.

Żebbuġ residents might be forgiven for thinking Google has it in for the town, with its Maps product clearly labelling not just its neighbours Qormi, Mdina, Attard and Siġġiewi, but also their various neighbourhoods, from Misraħ Kola in Attard to Tal-Virtu' in Rabat.  

Thankfully, Google Maps hasn't completely wiped Ħaż-Żebbuġ off its radar. A dedicated search still brings up the town's boundaries and information.

The Żebbuġ area, by contrast, appears simply as an unmarked space, with only St Philip's church clearly labelled. 

The town's mayor, Sarah Agius, told Times of Malta that the missing label was brought to her attention this past weekend. 

"We'll be writing to Google and asking them to rectify," she said. "Plenty of tourists visit Żebbuġ, and not having it marked on Google Maps could complicate things for them."

With a history dating back some 650 years, Żebbuġ is one of Malta's oldest towns.

At least the town's parish church, dedicated to St Philip of Agira, gets a mention.