title: Why can't Google Maps static API handle my encoded URIs?
body: <p>I'm trying to integrate some Google maps bits into my Java web app using the Google Maps static API.  For the moment I'm just trying to get a map, any map.  Their example:</p>
  
  <pre><code>http://maps.google.com/maps/api/staticmap?center=40.714728,-73.998672&amp;zoom=12&amp;size=400x400&amp;sensor=false
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>works fine from my browser.  However the Java HTTP client software I am using (the one from Apache's http components, version 4.0.2) insists that I encode my URIs, so I end up with this:</p>
  
  <pre><code>http://maps.google.com/maps/api/staticmap?center%3D40.714728%2C-73.998672%26zoom%3D12%26size%3D400x400%26sensor%3Dfalse
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>which doesn't work.  I would happily not encode my URIs but the Apache client fails if I don't.  So my question is how can I either:</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>persuade Apache's client to use the plain URI or</li>
  <li>get the encoded URI into a form Google will accept</li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>?</p>