Google Earth is a useful tool that can be used to help people find directions to where they need to go. It can also help map out terrain and locations of different cities. Google Earth uses satellite images taken from satellites in space to build a map of Earth from said images. This is why sometimes the images are blurry and a bit hard to see. However, there are some areas on Google Maps that are harder to see than others. These areas are censored for whatever reason. The reason could be official through the government of certain places or it could be the fact that something mysterious is located there and whatever is there shouldn't be known to the public.

Google Earth and Google Maps work in tandem together to bring together an accurate representation of Earth. Google is constantly updating these maps with new pictures they are taking every day so they are bound to run into strange things every once in a while. Censorships are either requested from the owners of the property or enforced by Google for whatever reason. These places aren't difficult to get to in real life but they are difficult to see in the virtual world.

20 The Hidden Russian Island

This island located in Russia was discovered in the early 1900's. Since then the island has become abandoned and hasn't had any life living on it for years. When you find the island on Google Maps it seems like a piece of the island is blurred in a strange way. The whole island isn't blurred which means it could be a camera glitch which isn't common. It could also mean the photo was altered and the island holds a secret that shouldn't be viewed by the public's eyes. This could also be the reason the island is now abandoned so many years after it was discovered.

19 Tantauco National Park, Chile

This national park actually acts as a natural wildlife reserve. This isn't just any wildlife reserve either as it holds endangered animals in hopes to preserve them for years to come. The reserve stretches to be four hundred miles long and all four hundred miles can't be viewed on Google Earth due to censorship. This is especially weird since the reserve is made public and features several hiking trails. This means that the park may be hiding something that is only viewable from the bird's eye view above the park something hikers can't see right in front of them.

18 The Missing Oil Refinery, Hungary

This oil refinery has been completely replaced by a green censorship bar on Google Earth. This seems strange as the oil refinery is a business and this makes it seem like they are hiding something there. The company that owns the oil refinery is known as MOL and is a company based out of Hungary. There have been no statements from MOL on the censorship of their facility on Google Earth. Many speculate that the company is just being paranoid about their company secrets and wanted to hide their facility on Google Earth to avoid any unwanted attention. Little did they know this censorship has made them even more popular.

17 North Korea Is Hidden

This one may not be very surprising to many as North Korea is a very secretive nation. Up until recently the entirety of North Korea was hidden away behind censorship but now only certain areas are hidden. You can even take to Google Street View and walk through North Korea as if you were there. The area is still much more censored than most places and you won't be able to see anything of interest that North Korea doesn't want you to see. There are obvious secrets here that are being kept hidden even on the virtual globe known as Google Earth.

16 Hidden Face Of Col. Sanders

Google Earth and Google Street View are known to censor not only places but also faces. The Google Car that travels through different areas to capture the pictures that help build the world, of course, will run into a bunch of people. Therefore they have to censor them due to people stealing identities and overall security. Google has set up an automatic blurring system that will blur any face it sees and that means any. A KFC that featured their prominent mascot Col. Sanders had a censorship of their own when the mascot's face was blurred because Google mistook the face for an actual person's. Props to the graphic designer on that one!

15 A Whole City Is Missing From Google Maps In The Philippines

Valencia City located in the Philippines is one of those cities that you wouldn't expect to be on a list like this. It is like putting San Francisco on the list. Valencia City is a bustling city with thousands of residents residing in it. So why is over half the city censored on Google Earth? Many speculate that the city used to be a sight for a missile testing location but many of these rumors were put to rest. Therefore, the only logical explanation that remains is the satellite cameras were glitching or there is something paranormal in the city. It is very unlikely that a satellite would mistakenly blur a whole city so it seems like it may be the latter.

14 Girona The Missing City In Spain

If you are hovering over Spain in Google Earth you may find this large black bar laying on top of a large part of Spain. Underneath this large censorship, is a secret air surveillance base. This was uncovered when hackers were able to remove the censorship from the image on Google Earth. Many speculators believe this to be a cover up to something even more mysterious. It is worth noting that during the 70's this airbase was the location of many UFO sightings. Perhaps the airbase is trying to cover up more than just their safety.

13 The Mystery Of The Washington/Oregon Border

If you hover over the Washington and Oregon border in the northwestern part of the US you may find a small black box along the border. This seems like a strange place to censor and as soon as this came out people began speculating. One of the most popular reasons to be rumored was the involvement of FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) and was thought to be a base of theirs. However, people have traveled to the area in real life and found nothing but the empty terrain in the area. So is there anything of importance that is hidden there or was this just a camera malfunction?

12 The Sunken Car In Wyoming

There was an ongoing case located in Wyoming about a missing man. The only thing investigators had to go off of was the picture of the man's license and his license plate. The investigation wasn't getting anywhere fast and it seemed to be at a dead end for a while. That is until an image surfaced on Google Maps that revealed the location of said man. His car was seen at the bottom of a small pond not too far from where he was suspected to go missing. The case was closed and his family finally had peace as to what happened to the man.

11 The Island Of Itu Tuba Off The Coast Of China

This entry is quite the opposite of every other one on the list. While this area doesn't feature any censorship it very well should. This island is located off the southeast coast of China and was owned and operated as a secret military base by the Taiwanese government. The government put in a censorship request to have the island censored on Google Earth, however, something went wrong along the way and Google failed to censor the island. Now it is visible to the public and it isn't a secret military base anymore.

10 The Mystery Of Baker Lake In Canada

If you are browsing Google Earth and see a large black area around Canada don't be alarmed. Under the censorship is a part of Baker Lake. This lake is rumored to be part of Canada's nuclear controversy. Others speculate that the area is home to several beacons which are rumored to hold extraterrestrial life forms. Since the area is large and spotty many people believe that the area is just a glitch from the satellite cameras. However, we have already seen the same type of censorship on other censored areas of Google Earth, therefore there is probably something darker going on at this lake.

9 Chekov The Russian City Is Missing From Google Maps

Chekov is a small city in Russia and it doesn't have a lot going on in or near it. Therefore why is it blurred out on Google Earth? Many have put on their investigation hats and taken to street view and traveled into and around the city to try and figure out the mystery behind the censorship. Many believe the reasoning is a secret underground tunnel that leads to one of Russia's most important government buildings. It is said that this tunnel was used for soldiers in WWII to traverse Russia and not have to suffer from the cold temperatures.

8 Too Many Outbreaks In New York

This prison in New York is blurred out for an actual good reason and it isn't a mystery to anyone. The warden of the prison put in a request for censorship with Google to censor the prison so prisoners wouldn't be able to map out escape plans. After several escapes, the warden decided that it may be the fact that prisoners are escaping by using Google Earth as a reference. There are better ways to prevent breakouts like enhancing security but who knows maybe blurring out the prison on Google Earth has effectively stopped all prison escapes since then.

7 The Secrets Of Volkel Air Base

The Volkel Air Base is located in the Netherlands and is said to house nuclear weapons. This is probably why the area is censored on Google Earth with a large black censor bar. However, the story doesn't end there as the Netherlands Government has denied these rumors of the air base holding nuclear weapons. Many speculate that the blacked out location is where much of the base's weapons are held whether nuclear or not they are censoring this section of the air base to secure their safety and others around the base.

6 The Mystery Of The Sandy Island In The Coral Sea

A phantom island is known as an island that had once appeared on a map and has since disappeared off of more modern maps. Seemingly these islands disappear over time and no one really knows why. Sandy Island is one of these islands and it is located in the Coral Sea. The supposed sand island was discovered in the 1700's by a pirate captain voyaging the Coral Sea. However, where is the island now? Likely due to the ocean levels rising the island is likely still there just not visible to the normal eye.

5 The Siberian Tundra, Russia

The Siberian tundra is a mysterious place on its own. It is so cold and very vast to the point that many mysteries could lay beneath its icy surface. This makes Siberia even more mysterious when a picture from Google Earth emerged showing that part of Siberia is completely censored out with brown clouds. The best rabbit hole that people have gone down is the fact that near the tundra there were some cities that the Russian government was closing down for no apparent reason. Several towns and millions of people misplaced and for no public reason why? Something fishy is going on in the tundra.

4 Babylon City In Iraq

The city of Babylon is one of the biggest and most rich with history in Iraq. So why did Google decide to blur the images on Google Earth? The vast history behind the city makes it stand out as one of the greatest cities in Iraq and many find it to be disrespectful that Google Earth would blur out such a city. Many people speculate that it is the history itself that is the reason parts of Babylon are censored. Not all of the history has been uncovered from this ancient city and the censorship could deter people from exploring the area and finding things for themselves.

3 The Royal Palace, Amsterdam

The Royal Palace is weirdly not visible to the public on Google Earth. This is strange considering even the Buckingham Palace is viewable and not censored. The censorship is most likely due to security issues with the public being able to see every side of the palace. Others speculate that the royal family has something to hide in the palace. Whatever the case the blurring of the royal palace is strange. Why not censor Buckingham palace while they are at it? It is also worth noting that the area surrounding the palace is completely clear and visible all except for the palace.

2 The Snow Saddle In Nepal

Kangtega better known as the Snow Saddle is an area located in the Nepal Himalaya. A section of the mountain is blackened out by satellites. At first many thought this area to just be a glitch in the satellite cameras however if you reference another satellite site in the Bing search engine the spot is pixelated out. There have been many sightings of UFOs in the area leading many to believe that the blackened area is a base of operations for a secret government project dealing with the extraterrestrial. The mountaintop would be the perfect place to hide a military base dealing with aliens. Too bad Google Earth went and spoiled the secret.

1 Moruroa An Uninhabited Atoll Near Tahiti

Moruruoa is an atoll which is a collection of small islands made up of coral. It is south of Tahiti and very easy to miss unless you are specifically looking for it. The Google Earth image for this atoll is very clear and defined at least one part of it is anyway. The rightmost part of the island is very clear and bright while the left side of the island is blurred and dark. Side by side the islands almost look like they are from two different images entirely. The best guess anyone has to this reasoning is this area was a nuclear testing area for the French some time ago. Maybe all of the nuclear weapons weren't used and are still on the island.

References: metro.co.uk, ranker.com