Google releases top 1000 sites in the world for May

Google's newly released list of the top 1000 most-visited sites in the world reads like a rollcall of the most socially-penetrated sites in the world.

Compiled using data gathered from the Google Toolbar, Analytics, opt-in external consumer panel data and other third-party research and opinion, the list will be updated monthly, and does not include adult sites, advertising sites nor grand-master Google itself.

And that's the problem.

Without Google factoring both itself and YouTube into the equation, there's no way we can know that this list is complete.

What's odd is that some of the numbers don't add up. If you pay attention, Father Google's data contradicts some the data reported by the websites on the list. Take Facebook for example. Facebook self-reports a daily unique visitor rate of roughly 400 million users, but Google's data reports a number closer to 570 million.

Does that make Facebook the most popular website globally? It'd be interesting to know.

Here are the top 10 sites that made the list this month. For the complete 1000 - click on the image.