Google Maps Navigation is arguably the biggest thing to hit GPS navigation since its inception. I use it pretty much where ever I go, not because I don’t know how to get where I’m going, but because of dynamic re-routing and near-real-time traffic data. Combine these two and I can avoid congestion, accidents, and road hazards, and be directed through the side-streets with which I might be unfamiliar.

One of the biggest complaints about Google Maps Navigation has been its lack of availability outside the United States. There are some hacks that allowed foreign access to Navigation, but the language support and map coverage of those areas haven’t been ready. Until now.

According to their post, today Google launched Google Maps Navigation for Android version 4.2 in Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland (Android 1.6+). Search-by-voice is now available in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish for Android 2.0+.

Google Maps version 4.2 (with Navigation) is available for free in the Android Market.