Hidden places Google Earth
10 Places Google Earth Is Hiding From You Across the world are places that Google are trying desperately to hide from us, Here at AllTime10s we think it's time to dig a little deeper into the areas they're trying to wipe from the map. 10. Shamsi Airfield in Pakistan In 2009, images published on Google Earth in 2006 showing controversial unmanned drones on the Pakistan air field came to prominence. Owned by the United States, the Predator drones were able to travel across the globe, allowing America to observe and attack their enemies. Following the reveal, Google whited out the runway, hiding the airfield's activity from the world. Pakistan has since ordered American troops to vacate the site, mainly in response to NATO airstrikes which killed 25 Pakistani soldiers. 09. Severnaya Zemlya in the Russian Arctic Ocean Scan the Russian arctic ocean on Google Maps, and you'll eventually find the uninhabited archipelago, Severnaya Zemlya. Or rather you'll see its 14,000 square miles blocked out by a crudely drawn white mass, partly covered by a large grey bar. Google aren't the first people in history to leave the islands off the map. Despite being clearly visible from the European mainland, it's presence wasn't formally recorded until the early 20th century. 08. Military sites across Taiwan Concerned with national security, Taiwanse authorities have asked Google to censor numerous military sites across the country, including National Security Bureau Headquarters and Command Headquarters. Clearly tampered with, Google have pixelated some sites, and pasted over others with outdated images. The Taiwanese government were infuriated when, in 2012, Apple Maps accidentally revealed one of the Taiwan's secret radar bases. Discovered and printed by one of the country's newspapers, the Defense ministry quickly demanded that the company blur the installation. 07. US/ Mexico Border in Hudspeth County Texas, America For those wanting to plot their trip between Texas and Mexico, a visit to Google Earth won't bring them many answers, as the company have heavily distorted the area, around Hudspeth County. Looking like some incredibly poor photoshopping, Google twisted the landscape until a section of the Rio Grande was transformed into a surreal blur of waved lines. The blurring hides an area renowned for its violent drug trade, which sees thousands of pounds worth of narcotics pass the border each year. 06. Marcoule Nuclear Plant in France Covering 140 hectares, this French nuclear plant that holds uranium and plutonium supplies, has been home to research into atomic weapons and seen the country's first use of nuclear electricity. Projects now focus on nuclear decommissioning and recycling. But thanks to security concerns Google Maps has transformed it into a patch of heavy pixellation. The site was rocked by an explosion in 2011 when a furnace used to melt nuclear waste blew up. Investigations found no evidence of a radioactive leak, however one employee died in the incident. 05. The Volkel Air Base, The Netherlands The Netherlands is notorious for censoring its online maps, covering military bases across the country. The Volkel Air Base is just one example of the heavy pixelation that scatters the country. In 2013 the country's former Prime Minister Ruud Lubbers revealed that 22 nuclear weapons are stored at the site's bunker. Four times more powerful than those used on Hiroshima and Nagosaki, they had been placed there by the US at the height of the Cold War. 04. Portlaoise Prison in Ireland Holding the country's most dangerous terrorists, including several members of the IRA , Ireland's maximum security prison has been censored from Google maps. With round the clock armed military surveillance and an air exclusion zone, this is recognised as one of the most secure prisons in Europe. Though it can still be found online, the photographs shown were taken over a decade ago. Google haven't done a great job masking the use of out-of-date images, which are noticeably duller than the area immediately surrounding the prison. 03. The Michael AAF Building in Utah, America Based in a Utah airfield, the Michael AAF building is surrounded by 86,000 acres of sweltering desert that would put most would-be attackers off infiltrating the site. Home to projects like the Unmanned Aircraft Systems, the airfield is located on the Dugway Proving Ground, America's primary bio-chemical weapons test centre. This is where toxic agents and biological warfare weapons were tested during World War 2. So it’s hardly surprising that America has enlisted Google to help keep its research as secret as possible. . 02. Mysterious Square, Spain What lies behind a blurry square spotted in El Ejido remains a complete mystery. Located in the South of Spain, it's not just Google hiding the spot, as both Bing and Yahoo maps have also hidden the area. While some online conspiracists have suggested the site could simply be a heli-pad, othersitn have speculated that a missile silo could be behind the fuzzy shape. 01. HAARP Government Research Facility. in Alaska, America At number two we've got another American research facility, but this is one that has attracted worldwide controversy. The Defence Department's experimental weather station and its 180 antennae, have become the root of countless conspiracy theories, blamed for everything from global mind control to natural disasters. In 2010 the then-Iranian president blamed HAARP scientists for the devastating floods that hit Pakistan, while one-time Venezualen leader Hugo Chávez claimed they were responsible for the Haiti earthquake.
