Google Earth is a virtual globe, map and geographical information program. It maps the Earth by the superimposition of images obtained from satellite imagery, aerial photography and geographic information system (GIS) 3D globe. Just like their data-rich Maps and Street View offerings, Google Earth is a treasure trove of oddities.
You’ve no doubt already come across some interesting finds on Google Earth. The post below attempts to compile the most fascinating sites other have stumbled upon browsing Google Earth. From natural formations to human structures, the world is a different place when viewed from above.
If you’re interested in seeing any of the places yourself, I’ve included the coordinates for every image shown below. Just copy and paste into Google Earth/Maps and explore for yourself!
1. Airplane Boneyard
32 08’59.96″ N, 110 50’09.03″W
Tucson, Arizona
2. Mysterious Desert Pattern
27°22’50.10″N, 33°37’54.62″E
Red Sea Governorate, Egypt
*Update* This is a land art project called Desert Breath by the D.A.ST. Arteam. The Sifter did an entire post on the piece here.
3. Swastika-Shaped Building Complex
32°40’34.19″N 117° 9’27.58″W
Coronado, California, USA
4. Buffalo Herd
4°17’21.49″ S 31°23’46.46″ E
Kigosi Game Reserve, Tanzania
5. Giant Triangle
33.747252, -112.633853
Wittmann, Arizona, USA
6. Shipwrecked SS Ayrfield with Trees
-33.836379, 151.080506
Homebush Bay, Sydney, Australia
7. The Badlands Guardian
50° 0’38.20″N 110° 6’48.32″W
Walsh, Alberta, Canada
8. Parking Lot for Fighter Jets
33.927911, -118.38069
El Segundo, California, USA
9. Firefox Logo
45° 7’25.87″N 123° 6’48.97″W
Dayton, Oregon, USA
10. Guitar-Shaped Forest
-33.867886, -63.987
Córdoba, Argentina
Located in the fertile agricultural region of Argentina’s ‘Pampas’ is a guitar-shaped forest made up of over 7,000 cypress and eucalyptus trees. A farmer named Pedro Martin Ureta planted the forest in memory of his wife. You can read about the touching story here.
11. Heart-Shaped Lake
41.303921, -81.901693
Columbia Station, Ohio, USA
12. Mysterious Desert Pattern
40.452107, 93.742118
China
13. Giant Target
37.563936, -116.85123
Nevada, USA
*Update* The Sifter did an entire post on strange markings in the USA. Some are ‘eye charts’ for airplanes, better known as aerial photo calibration targets. The Sifter did an entire post on them here.
14. World’s Biggest Pool
-33.350534, -71.653268
Algarrobo, Valparaíso, Chile
At 1,013 meters (3,324 ft) in length with a total area of 8 hectares (19.77 acres), the swimming pool at the San Alfonso del Mar resort in Algarrobo, Chile is the largest in the world. You can read all about it here.
15. Jesus Loves You
43.645074, -115.993081
Boise National Forest, Boise, Idaho, USA
16. Lion King
51.848637, -0.55462
Dunstable LU6 2LD, UK
17. Northern Cyprus Flag
35.282902, 33.376891
Kyrenia, Cyprus
18. Star Fort
Schansdijk 5, 4655 De Heen, The Netherlands
19. Potash Ponds
38°29’0.16″N 109°40’52.80″W
Moab, Utah, USA
20. Mysterious Pattern
37.629562, -116.849556
Nevada, USA
21. The Whampoa Boat-Shaped Shopping Centre
22°18’14.15″N, 114°11’24.66″E
Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong
22. Russell Square
Bloomsbury, London, United Kingdom
23. Coca Cola Logo
-18.529211, -70.249941
Arica, Arica y Parinacota, Chile
24. Concentric Cirlces
39.623119, -107.635353
New Castle, Colorado, USA
25. Island in a Lake in an Island in a Lake
69.793° N, 108.241° W
Northern Canada
26. Flipped Car
51°19’18.13″N, 6°34’35.64″E
Krefeld, Germany
27. Strange Symbol
37.401573, -116.867808
Nevada, USA
28. Monkey Face
65.476721, -173.511416
Russia
29. Big Swimming Pool
52°29’52.24″N 13°27’13.67″E
Berlin, Germany
30. A Most Phallic Buliding
41.84201, -89.485937
Dixon, Illinois, USA
31. Big Friendly Giant
19°56’56.96″S 69°38’1.83″W
Huara, Tarapacá, Chile
32. Another Jet in a Parking Lot
48.825183, 2.1985795
92410 Ville-d’Avray, France
33. More Mysterious Desert Patterns
40.458148, 93.393145
China
34. Shipwreck
30.541634, 47.825445
Basrah, Iraq
35. Multiple Landing Strips in the Desert
32.663367, -111.487618
Eloy, Arizona, USA
36. Oil Fields
37°39’16.06″S 68°10’16.42″W
Rio Negro, Argentina
37. Mattel Logo
33.921277, -118.391674
El Segundo, California
38. Uluru / Ayers Rock
-25.344375, 131.034401
Northern Territory, Austrlia
39. 1:20 Scale Model of Disputed Border Region
between India and China
38.265652, 105.9517
Yong Ning Xian, Yinchuan, Ningxia, China
40. UTA Flight 772 Desert Memorial
16.864841, 11.953808
Sahara Desert, southern Ténéré of Niger
41. Heart-Shaped Land Formation
20°56’15.47″S, 164°39’30.56″E
New Caledonia
42. Rainbow Plane
Cathy Terrace Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey , USA
43. Barringer Meteor Crater
35.027185, -111.022388
Winslow, Arizona
44. Come Downtown and Play
35.141533, -90.052695
Memphis, Tennessee, USA
45. Hippo Pool
6°53’53.00″ S 31°11’15.40″ E
Katavi National Park, Tanzania
46. Solar Field
34.871778, -116.834192
Daggett, California
47. Giant US Flag
7300 Airport Blvd, Houston, TX 77061, USA
48. Big Red Lips in the Desert
12°22’13.32″N, 23°19’20.18″E
Sudan
49. Grand Prismatic Spring
44.525049, -110.83819
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA
50. Batman Symbol
26.357896, 127.783809
Okinawa, Japan
Sources
– Google Earth
– Weird Google Earth
– Strangest Sights in Google Earth, Part II
– Why Is China Building These Gigantic Structures In the Middle of Nowhere?
– The Google Earth Secret Coordinates – MASTER COLLECTION
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