The Google Maps API allows you to embed Google Maps on your own web pages. It provides utilities for manipulating maps and adding content through various services. To use the API: 1. Sign up for an API key on the Google Maps API site which acts as your password to access the API. 2. Copy and paste the example HTML and JavaScript code from Google to create a page displaying a map. 3. Save and upload the page to a web server, then view it in a web browser to see the embedded map.