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Top 7 Strange Things Found On Google Maps
Since the early 2000's, Google Earth (and the associated software and technologies behind
it) have fascinated the collective internet by providing a way to explore almost every
corner of the Earth from the comfort of your own chair. Of course, like most times a camera
is involved, some crazy things were bound to be documented - and the views of Google
Earth and Google Street-view are no exception. From wacky planned shenanigans to mind-blowing
finds - let's take at look at the craziest things found! (And stay tuned later to find
out more about the DARK side of google maps!)
#7 The Roadside Bathtub
As singer and founding member of alternative indie band The Flaming Lips, Wayne Coyne has
proven to be quite the eccentric himself. From strange on-stage antics - to crazy movies
- even making art with his own bodily fluids - Coyne's personality is larger-than-life
with a hint of humor. Back in 2007 - Coyne and his wife set up a bathtub outside for
a Halloween party - posting pictures and video online to the band's (then) MySpace account
- leaving the tub where it was for quite some time after. After getting wind that the Google
street view cars would be coming down his street, he planned accordingly - hopping into
the tub at just the right moment for this odd photograph.
#6 Sandy Island
"Sandy Island", a nonexistent island appearing on maps near the northwest of New Caledonia,
has stumped cartographers for over a century. After appearing on maps for 100 years as a
"phantom location", this strange location was finally photographed by Google Earth - simply
displaying a black polygonal void, about the size of Manhattan. The Australian researchers
who found the black mass alerted scientists - eventually sailing to the location in 2012
only to find open water and emptiness instead of the solid ground they expected. Now thought
to simply be human error or possibly just a pumice raft - it's hard not to suspect that
Google may actually be in on the joke.
#5 The Lake Inside Of A Lake
Found by map enthusiasts that carefully scrub Google Earth, the world's biggest island-in-a-lake-located-ON-an-island-in-a-lake-located-on-an-island-itself
was discovered near Northern Canada several years ago. This narrow, tilde-shaped strip
of land - measuring only four acres in size - floats quietly in the center of a small
lake that itself is encapsulated by another, larger island that resides inside a mass of
finger lakes located about 75 miles from the coast of Victoria Island. Although not much
is known about this island, researchers agree that the likelihood of any humans ever stepping
foot on the land mass are highly improbable. We can't help but wonder if there's a Gilligan's
Island type situation going on out there that no one knows about.
#4 The Airplane Graveyard
The Davis Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona (otherwise more commonly known as
"The Boneyard") is a 2,600 acre metaphorical cemetery - Although closed to the general
public, navigating to the coordinates on Google Earth provides a detailed peek inside - which
is almost every single piece of aircraft the United States Military has flown since World
War II - storing unbelievable relics of the past in staggering numbers. Snooping around
the premises offers a glimpse into air travel history - albeit in a slightly creepy, definitely
desolate kind of way.
#3 The Giant Signature
Billionaire Sheikh (and member of Abu Dhabi's ruling family) Hamad bin Hamdan al Nahyan
likes to stand out. Aside from an absolutely mind-blowing amount of wealth and power, he
likes to be seen (and not so much heard). Ordering to have his first name carved into
the top sand layers of surface on al Futaisi Island located in the Persian Gulf (which
he also happens to own). Measuring a half-mile tall by two miles wide - the letters can be
visibly spotted from space and are debatably the largest man-made typography. Since the
letters are so large, the pathways caused by the text being carved into the sand has
formed waterways and channels, effectively making this a semi-permanent (if not altogether
permanent) installation.
#2 The Massive Colonel Sanders
It was only a matter of time before advertising executives realized the potential in "mapvertising"
- a now common practice of constructing elaborate, enormous physical contraptions that form a
logo or photo when viewed aerially. Although major companies such as Coca-Cola have constructed
the world's largest Coke logo on a hillside of Chile (built out of a reported 70,000 empty
bottles of the sugary soda) - KFC has outdone their peers with this 87,500 square foot picture
of the chicken overlord - none other than Colonel Sanders himself - located just off
the Extraterrestrial Highway in Nevada.
#1 The Pentagram
Located on the windy and dusty steppes of central Asia, deep within an isolated region
of Kazakhstan, this humongous pentagram measures just about 1,200 feet in diameter - deeply
etched into the surface of the Earth below. Tucked away in the southern shore of the Upper
Tobol Reservoir, the chilling discovery can be spotted on both Google Earth - and in greater,
vivid detail on Google Maps. With the closest human habitation being over 12 miles east
of the symbol - conspiracy theorists went nuts over the source of the ancient symbol.
After much speculation and deliberation, it was revealed that the pentagram was initially
etched into the ground due to the region's ties to Soviet Russia. Since the area is determined
to be a former Soviet campground, the insignia would be marked there as stars were commonly
used to decorate Soviet facades, flags and monuments.
Did we miss a place? Drop us a comment and let us know! Also, if you enjoyed this video
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