The world we live in is a very strange place. What makes it even stranger are the things that can only be seen from above. Unlike birds, human beings didn't get the opportunity to see these strange places until recently when Google Earth was invented. But, now that we can see these mysterious locations, some of us were left with more questions than answers...
There's an Island in that Lake's Island
This is what us historians call a "quadruple threat." as you can see here, this is an island on a lake, that is in the middle of an island, that is also on a lake. However, if you really think about it, the whole world is just one big island in one big lake, isn't it?
Lips in the Desert
These lips are actually part of a small canyon system that houses a ton of wildlife. It's almost like a complete split in the Earth. The reason they look red is because of the clay-colored stone that the desert is built on.
Huge American Flag
This enormous flag is located on an independent airport hanger in Houston, Texas. The people who own this hanger restore old military planes. If you want to check this one out, the address is 7300 Airport Bvd, Houston, Texas.
The Mysterious Circle
This strange circle is actually a solar field. Located in Daggett, California, this amount of solar plates could theoretically power an entire town. To check it out, type 34.871778, -116.834192 into the search box.
The Great Hippo Swarm
It's truly unbelievable that Google Earth was able to capture this at the time it did. Located in the Katavi National Park in Tanzania, this is just a routine dip done by hippos on hot days. Hippos like to hang out where the water is because vegetation grows closer to it.
Multicolored Airplane
This plane was caught in a weird, but fairly common position. While flying on a clear day, the tops of planes can be extremely reflective. When a satellite takes a photo, the light from the reflection off the plane is traveling faster than the light that shows the shape of the plane itself. Instead of getting a picture of a plane, you'll get a picture that looks like this.
Heart Shaped Pasture
Located in New Caledonia, France, this cute little clearing has more to offer than meets the eye. Clearnings like this usually have very fertile soil, perfect for opening a vineyard. Since France is the wine country, this should be a no brainer.
The Lion King
This lion has not been explained, but it's likely football related. Located in Dustable, UK, this lion looks similar to the Chelsea Football Club logo. If you want to check out this prideful vandalism, go to 51.848637, -0.55462 on the map.
The Boat Shaped Shopping Center
Located in Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong, this place is a world reknowned shopping center. Also known as the Whampoa Boat-Shaped Shopping Center, this is a market for all sorts of goods. Farmers and commercial retailers take up space in thsi shopping center, which is mostly populated by tourists on any given day.
The Plane in the Desert
This is not an ordinary plane out in the desert. This black spot is a memorial to commemorate the famous UTA Flight 722 plane crash. If you want to see this one for yourself, go to 16.864841, 11.953808 on Google Earth.
A Political Model
This object is a 1:20 scale replica of the border between India and China. This border was deeply disputed for a long time. If you want to see this piece of history, go to coordinates: 38.265652, 105.9517
Ayers Rock
This huge rock has been worshiped by Native Australians since the establishment of native territory. Also known as Uluru, this rock is said to have begun forming 550 million years ago. If you want to see it for yourself, go to -25.344375, 131.034401.
Big Mattel
Believe it or not, this is actually on the Mattel toys campus in El Segundo, California. Recently, this campus has moved since Mattel merged with Disney, so this logo isn't going to last much longer. If you want to catch a glimpse while you can, go to – 33.921277, -118.391674 on the map.
A Swimming Pool on the Water
Located in Berlin, Germany (aka the party capital of the world) this swimming pool is connected to a popular day/night club. During the day, the pool shows up as a giant blue swath on an otherwise gray canal. At night, this place lights up like a beacon.
The Potash Ponds
Located in the middle of the Moab Desert in Utah, USA, these ponds are actually man-made and dyed blue. These ponds exist to evaporate and harness crystalized potassium chloride, or potash for short. These ponds contain a dominant mixture of water and potash, and they're dyed dark blue to hold in heat better for the evaporation process.
Another Burning Man Contribution
Burning Man is technically a leave-no-trace event, but leaving trash and leaving natural art are two different things. This geometric artwork is located in Nevada, USA, close to the Black Rock Desert. If you want to go look at it, go to 37.629562, -116.849556.
Overturned Vessel
Nobody knows much about this particular sunken ship, but the area it sunk in is famous for being a boat graveyard. Located in Basra, Iraq, on the Arvand Rud River, there are rumors of 36 other ships that met their fate at the bottom of this shallow waterway. This one is particularly cool, we recommend checking it out using these coordinates: 30.541634, 47.825445.
Strange Desert Formations
Unlike before, these tracks were not created by oil miners, This is a simple transport location small desert towns in China. This particular route is popular for traders heading in multiple different directions. To see some updated shots of this scene, go to 40.458148, 93.393145 on the map.
Monkey in the Mountains
Located in [nondescript location] Russia, this monkey face is a sight for sore eyes. Nobody knows why it's there or what caused it, manmade or natural, but we can all relate to this expression. If you want to venture onward to see it, type 65.476721, -173.511416 into the search box.
A Flipped Car
Located in downtown Krefeld, Germany, this person just couldn't catch a break. We have no clue why their car was flipped, but we do know that they're taking up more than one parking spot, and that definitely pissed some people off. Look in the southernmost portion of downtown Krefeld, the exact coordinates for this car are currently unknown.
Coke in the Desert
This logo is no ordinary advertisement. This was created by an independent artist and it is actually a collection of coke bottles that were placed strategically to only be seen from the sky. If you want to see this one for yourself, go to 18.529211, -70.249941 on the map, or just poke around the Arica desert in Arica y Parinacota, Chile.
The World's Largest Pool
Located in Algarrobo, Valpoara, Chile, the world's largest pool spans almost an entire beachfront. This pool is nearly 20 acres long and it contains 66 million gallons of water. It takes just over 2 million dollars a year to keep it open, and at its deepest, it is 115 feet to the bottom. Don't believe us? Look at it on your own by searching for -33.350534, -71.653268 on the map.
Argentinian Oil Fields
This strange site is a highly trafficked area of oil pockets in Argentina. The oil collected here because of the pre-historic underground rock formations. Due to the density of the rock underneath the soil, these oil pockets are uncharacteristically shallow.
Several Landing Strips
These landing strips are, quite literally, in the middle of nowhere. Located in Eloy, Arizona, USA, these used to be part of a small deserted military test facility. There's nothing around that area, but if you want to prove that for yourself, go to 32.663367, -111.487618.
Capturing Russel Square
This isn't extremely magnificent, but it is pretty cool if you think about the fact that this shot was taken by chance. This airplane was flying over Russel Square in Bloomsbury, London, UK at the perfect time to make this well placed shot. This is the kind of scene that photographers wish they could have captured.
Fighter Jet in a Parking Lot
Nobody has seemed to be able to zero in the story behind this one, but it definitely is a strange sight. This fighter jet was just parked in a random warehouse in Avray, France. This is just a pedestrian area, we are unsure why that plane ended up there in the first place. If you want to stay updated on this plane's story, check it out at 48.825183, 2.1985795.
A Friend in the Desert
Located in Huara, Tarapaca, Chile, this friendly giant was made by friendly artists to greet those above them. Seriously, this guy was made to be seen on the Google Earth Satellite. It's one of Google Earth's highlighted locations, so if you poke around the mountains in Chile, you're bound to find it eventually.
The Huge Target
No, the zodiac killer did not make this target on the ground, but that would have been a good guess. Instead, this was also a creation by the briliant folks behind Burning Man. If you want to see what all the fuss is about, go to these coordinates 37.563936, -116.85123.
A Phallic Building
No, this is not what you think it is. This is a small silo and tractor repair garage in downtown Dixon, Illinois. It's undetermined whether the designers of this building knew what they were getting themselves into, but if you want to see the end result, go to 41.84201, -89.485937 on the map.
A Guitar Shaped Forest
Located in Cardoba, Argentina, this forest was shaped like a guitar just for the Google Earth satellite. It seems like a lot of work just for a picture, but people like to have fun on the farm. Check this one out at -33.867886, -63.987.
SS Ayrfield
This shipwreck is 109 years old. Located in Homebush Bay, just west of Sydney, Australia, this ship has been here so long that trees have almost completely taken it over. To see if yourself, go to -33.836379, 151.080506 on the map.
Star Fort
We do not have the exact coordinates of this one because it's part of government land. However, located in the Netherlands, this star-shaped fort is beautiful to view from above. The closest thing to coordinates that we've got is their street address, which is Schansdijk 5, 4655 De Heen, The Netherlands.
A Star Shaped Town
This town is located in Northern Italy. Called Palmanova, this city was built in 1593 to resemble a 9-point star, which was considered the ideal version of a city at the time. The place still stands today, but it is no longer considered the pinnacle of innovation.
An Odd Glyph
This glyph in the sand was created by the most notorious party on American soil. No, we are not talking about the republican party, we're talking about Burning Man attendees. If you want to see where this one lands, go to 37.401573, -116.867808.
Strange Desert Art
This is one of the most talked-about Google Earth sites to date. Based on the Red Sea Governorate, Egypt, there is no back story to this one. These are most likely human-made craters, but why were they made in the first place?
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Located in New Castle, Colorado, these concentric circles are part of a sod pasture. These circles pre-sseparate the sod into already measured pieces, so when it's time to harvest, the farmer can sell the sod at a standardized fare. If you want to see these circles (and many others like them), go to 39.623119, -107.635353
Is This a UFO?
Located in Romania, this is one of the most popularly searched Google Earth sites. When given a birdseye view, this site looks like it's home to a flying saucer. But, when you look a little closer, things are not quite what they seem...
The Flag of Northern Cyprus
This desert mural is located in Kyrenia, Cyprus, This was funded by the government, but painted by local artists to show their pride of Cyprus. If you want to see this flag on your own (there are a few new updates to it) go to 35.282902, 33.376891.
Just a Water Processing Plant
We guarantee that you can still find Reddit threads dedicated to proving this site to be an actual UFO. But, if you switch to Google Street View, you can see that this is actually just a uniquely designed water processing plant. Google-1, Conspiracy Theorists-0.
A Mysterious Triangle
This is another great mystery that was uncovered by Google Earth. Nobody knows why this triangle is here (in Wittmann, Arizona, USA to be exact), but there is a similar one several miles west in Surprise, Arizona as well. To peep this strange geometric figure, go to 33.747252, -112.633853.
Some Roof Graffiti
If you ever had a doubt about what to do in Memphis, Tennessee, here is your advice. If you want to enjoy a night on the town, come downtown and play. If you want to see this location for yourself, search for 35.141533, -90.052695.
The Barringer Meteor Crater
This enormous land fixture isn't actually convex like how it looks, it is concaved into the ground. Located in Winslow, Arizona, this is the crash site of a truly enormous meteor that would have destroyed life as we know it if we were around when it fell. If you want to check this out on your own, here are the coordinates: 35.027185, -111.022388.
Strange Desert Patterns
This pattern looks similar to one that we formerly covered earlier on in this list, but this one is shrouded in mystery. We know the other one like it is a trade route, but this one has no story. Maybe it's an illegal trade route that nobody knows about yet. If you want to keep an eye on this strange pattern, look up 40.452107, 93.742118 on the map.
Heart Shaped Lake
Originally, this heart-shaped lake was an accident. However, since it was created, this drainage ditch has amassed a cute internet following and has become an internet culture tourism spot for many people. Check this one out at 41.303921, -81.901693, or go in real life, its in Columbia Station, Ohio, USA.
Mozilla Firefox
Believe it or not, this crop circle was not funded by Mozilla. This was created by a group of Firefox fans that also made some Firefox related work years ago. This is no longer around, primarily because corn grows so quickly that this circle was not sustainable.
Fighter Jets in the Lot
This is a Naval Airstation Museum in El Segundo, California. Nothing strange is really going on here, just some aircraft being shown off in the parking lot. The planes are still there by the way if you want to zoom in on them further, go to 33.927911, -118.38069.
Possibly Atlantis
Satellite Imagery revealed this city-like grid roughly the size of Wales on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean in 2009. However, Atlantis wouldn't have been in the Atlantic Ocean, and this is more than likely a glitch than anything else. Maybe someday we'll find the legendary lost city but now is not that time.
The Badland's Guardian
This enormous structure was known about long before Google Maps boosted its popularity. Located in Walsh, Alberta, Canada, this structure is part of a natural land formation in a baron mountain range. This image is that of a woman with a headdress on. Since modern roads penetrated these mountains, it looks like she's wearing earbuds as well.
Pidgeons on Street View
These people had this planned out for ages before the Google Street View car swung by to take photos. Located near the Tamagawa-Josui Station near Tokyo Japan, these individuals are simple role players who just wanted to have some fun with the Google Car. The Google Street View cars haven't been back since 2013, so this photo is likely going to stick around for a while.
The Pentagram Park
Strangely, this park was designed to look exactly the way it does. This strange place is located near the Kazakh town of Lisakovsk. It was built in the Soviet era, when star-shaped parks were made normally for some reason.
The Airplane Boneyard
This is an airplane graveyard for retired military aircraft. Located in Tucson, Arizona, the government needed a baren place to temporarily drop their trash to be recycled. Most of these planes have moved, but some still stand.
Jesus Loves You
A church group in rural Idaho put this sign up just for the Google Satellite to see. Located in the Boise National Forest in Boise, Idaho, this sign is so big it can be seen from space. Check it out for yourself at 43.645074, -115.993081.
The Batman Symbol
Located in Osaka, Japan, this Bat Symbol was actually intentionally placed a long time ago. It wasn't necessarily for Google Earth, but it does seem like it's that way. If you want to look at this yourself, the coordinates for this one are 26.357896, 127.783809.
Enormous Colorful Spring
Located in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, USA, this hot spring is extremely colorful for a deadly reason. This spring is full of toxic algae and the water has an extremely high PH level. Needless to say, you shouldn't be swimming in it. Coordinates – 4.525049, -110.83819.
Running Buffalo
Make way! Buffalo running through! Located in the Kigosi Game Reserve in Tanzania, these buffalo were likely running from some sort of predator. The predator might have been a human being or multiple human beings. This is a game reserve after all.
A Swastika Shaped Building
This building actually stirred up quite a bit of controversy when it was first talked about through Google Earth. However, the US military (this is an Air Force base) just wanted to make a cohesive condominium building system that connected in a central courtyard. Based in Coronado, California, USA, this place still stands today.
The Missing Flight
Google Earth has become home to some wild conspiracy theorists who have nothing better to do than troll the Earth's surface online. This particular discovery was made by a man named Scott C. Waring, and he believes that this is the missing flight MH370. This has never been proved, but it's also never been disproved.
A Ring Around a City
This is a high-speed racetrack that was designed by Fiat but acquired by Porsche. The track is just under eight miles long and it has four lanes in total. The outside rim of the track was engineered to be curved in such a way that drivers don't have to worry about touching the steering wheel at all if they go a consistent speed.
Test Track on the Roof
This is another formerly Fiat owned test track. Located on top of the Lingotto Building in Turn, this was where Fiat did most of its new car innovation. Cars would start at the bottom floor on a lift, and the cars would be outfitted with their components on the way up. Once they reached the top, the cars would drive around the test track and descend again. Fiat no longer owns this building, since then it has become a shopping center.
Beautiful Bolivian Lakes
This Bolivian portion of the Andes mountains is rife with volcanos, hot springs, and wild rock formations. From the Google Satellite, this looks like a wooden palate that's dotted with beautiful acrylic paints. However, on the Earth, these pools are full of acidic and alkaline water that can kill anything that decides to take a dip in it.