- Things really look different when seen from the air.
Looking at things from the ground level, we can only see so much about what’s around us. Thanks to map services, like Google Maps, it’s easy to get a bird’s eye view of your surroundings.
Sometimes, however, that view can reveal some strange things.
People scrolling around the world on Google Maps have spotted many strange and sometimes creepy things. Most of them have a reasonable explanation, but some remain mysterious to this day.
Here are 10 strange things that you can find on Google Maps. Just go give it a try.
1. Iraq Shipwreck
In the river flowing through the city of Basrah, Iraq, you can spot this maritime disaster. An unfortunate cargo ship has tipped over and lies waterlogged in the river.
We couldn’t find out what this ship is and what happened to it. Yet, the evidence of the accident is there in plain view.
2. Airplane Boneyard
Outside Tucson, Arizona, you can find a large, flat stretch of desert with a huge number of airplanes. This is the Boneyard — a graveyard for airplanes.
Almost 4,000 airplanes from the U.S. military and government sit in the sand under the baking sun. This is a high-security area so you can’t go see the planes, but at least you view them from the air.
3. Badlands Guardian
If you visited this location in Alberta, Canada, you wouldn’t realize there’s anything strange about it. Look at it from the air, though, and the topography reveals an eerily human-like face.
Called the Badlands Guardian, the shape resembles a face wearing some kind of a headdress. It’s funny what light and shadows can create.
4. Face of Antarctica
Here’s another example of lighting conditions fooling our eyes. This face is located in the frozen wastes of Antarctica, south of Australia.
Once again, you wouldn’t know the face is there if you went to visit the spot — in fact, it may not even be there anymore. Wind and snowdrifts have probably erased the face, but at least it was immortalized in a lucky satellite photo.
5. Swastika Building
In San Diego, there’s a U.S. Navy building that’s… Well, it’s a swastika. The building’s bizarre shape has given rise to many conspiracy theories of secret Nazi activity in the area.
According to the Navy, however, the shape is an unfortunate accident. They say the building was built the way it is for convenience without any further meaning.
5. Lisakovsk Pentagram
Here’s another strange sight that has stirred up many stories. The huge pentagram outside the city of Lisakovsk, Kazakhstan, is rumored to be the meeting place of a secret Satanist cabal.
In reality, however, it’s the remains of a Soviet-era park whose construction was started by never finished. And the star shape? Well, that’s supposed to be the red star of communism.
6. Whampoa Boat
If you’re looking at Hong Kong from the air, you might be taken by surprise. In the middle of the city is a ginormous yacht.
This boat, however, wouldn’t float. In reality, it’s the Whampoa shopping center that was built to resemble a luxury yacht.
7. Gobi Desert Lines
Deep in the Gobi Desert in China, people spotted bizarre, zigzagging lines some years back. Their purpose was and remains a mystery.
That said, people with knowledge about such matters believe the lines are part of China’s military infrastructure. They may be used to calibrate satellite cameras and targeting computers.
8. Lips Hill
In the Darfur region of Sudan, there’s a famous hill. Seen from the air, it resembles a pair of luscious lips.
Some people, however, believe it looks more like… Well, use your imagination.
9. Vostok Island
It caused quite a stir in 2021 when somebody spotted a gaping hole in the Pacific Ocean. And indeed, this place really looks like an empty hole when seen from the air.
However, pictures can be misleading. What you’re looking at is Vostok Island, which has such a thick tree cover that it appears pitch black in the satellite photos.
11. Area 51
Have you ever wanted to see what’s in the infamous Area 51? Well, you can.
Despite what many people think, Area 51 is not blocked out from satellite photos. In fact, you can really zoom in on Google Maps to gawk at the buildings and the runway.
We didn’t see any evidence of aliens, but maybe you’ll be luckier.