Beloved sites rescued from the brink of extinction
Google Earth has revolutionized the way we explore the world, allowing anyone with an internet connection to uncover some of the most curious, creepy, and downright fascinating places on the planet. From haunting abandoned towns frozen in time, to breathtaking natural wonders that seem almost otherworldly, these virtual expeditions offer a glimpse into locations that are as intriguing as they are unique.
Whether it's mysterious symbols etched into the earth, eerie structures left behind by history, or bizarre geographical oddities, these discoveries tell stories that spark curiosity and wonder. With just a few clicks, Google Earth has turned the globe into a treasure map, revealing secrets and surprises in every corner of the world. Intrigued? Click through this gallery to see some interesting coordinates from around the world.
The Skeleton Coast in Namibia is home to eerie shipwrecks scattered like forgotten tombstones, haunting reminders of perilous voyages. If anyone were to venture onto Google Earth to find this stretch of land, they would see only rusting hulls stranded on desolate sands.
Coordinates: 22°14'27.3"S, 14°21'13.4"E
Found near the Ukrainian city of Kherson is a crimson-hued lake known as Syvash. But while its unnatural color has fueled grim theories of pollution or sacrifices, the lake’s bizarre appearance is actually the result of a microalga.
Coordinates: 46°10'16.4"N, 33°56'6.1"E
Pripyat, Ukraine, stands as a frozen moment in history, its abandoned and crumbling buildings whispering of Chernobyl's catastrophic past. On Google Earth, it looks like a dystopian painting, where time abandoned its ticking hand.
Coordinates: 51°24'21.0"N, 30°03'26.0"E
In the Atacama Desert of Chile, giant geoglyphs appear like ancient codes etched for extraterrestrial eyes. On Google Earth, these hauntingly precise carvings invoke a feeling that human hands may not have been alone in creating them.
Coordinates: 19°56'56.0"S, 69°38'01.0"W
Tucked away in Siberia is a lake shaped like a heart. Many hikers have been known to venture into the wilderness of the region in the hopes of glimpsing nature’s romantic design, and the landscape truly offers some wondrous vistas in both winter and summer.
Coordinates: 51°31'01.5"N, 103°37'37.0"E
Over in the United States, Utah boasts desert ponds that extract potash (which is used in fertilizers) from potassium salt deposits left by evaporated inland seas. They are dyed bright blue to absorb sunlight, and the ponds shift from electric blue to hues of turquoise, orange, yellow, and white.
Coordinates: 38°29'00.1"N, 109°40'52.8"W
The infamous Area 51 in Nevada is shrouded in mystery, its vague outlines on Google Earth teasing hidden experiments and UFO lore. This massive section of the US desert is used as an active military installation, and many extraterrestrial enthusiasts have longed to look inside.
Coordinates: 37°14'32.8"N, 115°48'54.2"W
This Google Earth image captures a fascinating phenomenon known as a recursive island: an island in a lake, which is on an island in a lake, which can be found on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. Once thought the largest of its kind, a remote Canadian site now holds that title.
Coordinates: 14°00'37.3"N, 120°59'53.5"E
Image credit: NASA Earth Observatory
The Richat Structure in Mauritania resembles a massive eye gazing skyward. The structure measures 25 miles (40 km) across, and makes it seem like Earth itself is watching the cosmos, although it is nothing more than sedimentary and volcanic rock.
Coordinates: 21°08'49.3"N, 11°20'13.5"W
Vostok Island, an uninhabited coral island in the central Pacific, appears blacked out on Google Earth, which has fueled many conspiracy theories. In reality, the island is home to dense Pisonia grandis trees, rooted in thick peat soil, which create a dark canopy resembling a black hole from above.
Coordinates: 10°03'48.6"S, 152°18'39.4"W
This Wyoming landmark’s jagged symmetry looks alien-like from above (and from every other angle as well). The rock structure, dubbed Devils Tower, rises in ominous solitude above the surrounding landscape, and the site was even used as a filming location for the 1977 extraterrestrial movie ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind.’
Coordinates: 44°35'26.7"N 104°42'54.6"W
Google’s street view feature offers people the opportunity to glimpse Nagoro “Scarecrow” Village in rural Japan. The village features over 300 life-sized scarecrows crafted by artist Tsukimi Ayano, resembling past residents and imagined characters that honor the village’s history in disturbing fashion.
Coordinates: 33°51'28.3"N, 134°01'25.9"E
Google’s street view also provides a glimpse into Mexico’s La Isla de las Muñecas, which harbors hundreds of dangling dolls with cracked faces that eternally stare into the void. This chilling spectacle evokes a twisted fairytale gone wrong, where innocence meets an unsettling fate in shadowy glades.
Coordinates: 19°17'24.5"N 99°05'47.4"W
The Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona, has been nicknamed "the boneyard," since this is where US military planes go to die. The base’s 2,600-acre site is viewable on Google Earth, and it houses virtually every aircraft flown by the military since World War II.
Coordinates: 32°08'59.96" N, 110°50'09.03"W
The Hill of Crosses in Northern Lithuania is a mysterious site believed to have originated during the 1830–31 revolution against the Russian Empire. Families placed crosses in honor of lost loved ones. Now a symbol of Lithuanian nationalism, it’s a Catholic pilgrimage site and tourist attraction.
Coordinates: 56°00'55.1"N, 23°24'57.8"E
The Nazca Desert in Southern Peru is home to the ancient Nazca lines, geoglyphs created by removing the iron-oxide pebbles of the desert to expose lighter soil underneath. The symbols depict plants, animals, and geometric patterns, and their mysterious purpose has fueled theories involving extraterrestrial life.
Coordinates: 14°44'20.4"S, 75°07'48.0"W
Hashima Island, or Gunkanjima, is a crumbling fortress of abandoned concrete buildings located off Nagasaki. From Google Earth, it looms like a haunted warship adrift in Japan's waters, steeped in a grim history involving forced labor in undersea coal mines.
Coordinates: 32°37'39.8"N, 129°44'20.1"E
The Wiltshire countryside frequently showcases intricate crop circles best appreciated from Google Earth. Since 2005, more than 380 crop circles have been recorded in the area, and many conspiracy theories have attributed their existence to alien artistry or clandestine human sacrifice.
Coordinates: 51°21'12.8"N 1°51'09.9"W
The SS Ayrfield, nicknamed the "Floating Forest," lies in Sydney’s Homebush Bay, blending human history with nature’s resilience. Built in 1911 and retired in 1972, the ship's rusting hull now hosts a thriving mangrove forest, creating a stunning contrast. This transformation attracts photographers and tourists alike.
Coordinates: 33°49'59.1"S, 151°04'36.9"E
Centralia is a near-ghost town located in the US state of Pennsylvania. The town is scorched by an underground mine fire that is still burning to this day. Perhaps the most eerie part of the town, however, is its abandoned highway, which features graffiti and sand mounds designed to dissuade people from venturing too close.
Coordinates: 40°47'45.2"N 76°20'38.9"W
Kolmanskop, a ghost town in Namibia's Namib Desert, thrived as a diamond mining hub in the early 1900s. As the supply of diamonds dwindled, the town was abandoned, and its elegant German-style buildings are now engulfed by sand, creating an eerie yet mesmerizing desert attraction.
Coordinates: 26°42'13.8"S, 15°13'57.3"E
Nouadhibou's coastline is littered with rusting vessels, visible on Google Earth like skeletal remains of forgotten seafarers. This "ship graveyard" is a testament to human abandonment and the ocean’s relentless pursuit to reclaim anything that enters its depths.
Coordinates: 20°54'00.0"N, 17°02'00.0"W
The Darvaza gas crater, nicknamed the “Gates of Hell,” is a fiery pit in Turkmenistan's Karakum Desert. Likely ignited by Soviet scientists in the 1980s after a drilling accident, it attracts 10,000 visitors annually. Burning at 1,832°F (1,000°C), it creates a mesmerizing, smoke-free spectacle that can be seen on Google Earth.
Coordinates: 40°15'09.0"N, 58°26'22.2"E
In Namibia, mysterious "fairy circles" dot the landscape like alien polka dots. Google Earth reveals these barren patches as both enchanting and unnerving, and their origins have sparked scientific and supernatural theories alike.
Coordinates: 24°08'08.2"S 15°50'06.9"E
‘Desert Breath’ is a massive art installation located near Egypt’s Red Sea. The project was created in 1997 by three Greek artists, and it consists of large spirals made from sand mounds. The installation symbolizes humanity’s connection to nature and time, slowly eroding yet still drawing visitors and intrigue.
Coordinates: 27°22'49.6"N, 33°37'55.6"E
The Amazon Basin, covering over 2.7 million sq. miles (7 million sq. km) across South America, is home to the Amazon River, the world's largest by discharge. Winding through nine countries, it snakes through dense rainforests, creating a pattern of meanders, oxbow lakes, and countless tributaries that is truly a sight to behold.
Coordinates: 3°20'01.3"S 60°38'00.6"W
Aside from its clear blue water, the Bahamas is home to fascinating underwater plane wrecks that attract divers and snorkelers galore. Notable wreckage sites include Pablo Escobar’s crashed drug plane (pictured), now a haven for fish, and wrecks near Bimini Island and Staniel Cay.
Coordinates: 25°43'08.5"N, 77°49'11.8"W
Lake Natron in Tanzania is another body of water that shines bright red on Google Earth. The lake’s salt waters are rumored to mummify creatures, although the seemingly haunting lake is the only regular breeding ground for Africa’s lesser flamingo population.
Coordinates: 2°21'07.0"S 36°02'24.0"E
California’s Lake Berryessa hides this giant spillway. A quick search on Google Earth reveals this yawning chasm that resembles a void to another dimension, swallowing water—and imaginations—into darkness.
Coordinates: 38°30'44.2"N 122°06'17.7"W
Sources: (Google Earth) (World Atlas) (Live Science) (Mapize) (Maptive)
See also: Creepy prisons from history that'll give you the chills
Interesting places found with Google Earth
From the creepy to the curious, Google's satellites have seen it all
TRAVEL Coordinates
Google Earth has revolutionized the way we explore the world, allowing anyone with an internet connection to uncover some of the most curious, creepy, and downright fascinating places on the planet. From haunting abandoned towns frozen in time, to breathtaking natural wonders that seem almost otherworldly, these virtual expeditions offer a glimpse into locations that are as intriguing as they are unique.
Whether it's mysterious symbols etched into the earth, eerie structures left behind by history, or bizarre geographical oddities, these discoveries tell stories that spark curiosity and wonder. With just a few clicks, Google Earth has turned the globe into a treasure map, revealing secrets and surprises in every corner of the world. Intrigued? Click through this gallery to see some interesting coordinates from around the world.