Google Maps BANNED locations you’re not allowed to see including prisons and mystery Russian island

GOOGLE Maps is on a quest to document every corner of the globe – but some spots are so secret that even Google can’t show them.

From military bases to mysterious islands, there’s no shortage of censored locations that the digital mapping service keeps hidden from users.

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Prison de Montluçon, France

This prison in central France is censored on Google Maps

A number of prisons around the globe are censored on Google Maps because they’re considered to be sensitive locations.

Montluçon prison in central France is one of many clinks in France blurred by the digital mapping service.

In 2018, France’s government asked Google to pull all images of French prisons from the web.

The order followed a daring escape from a prison near Paris that involved a helicopter that flew it into the courtyard.

It’s thought that notorious killer Redoine Faid and his accomplices used Google Maps to scout out the layout of Reau prison.

Find it here – 46°20’25.0″N 2°36’16.0″E

Moruroa, French Polynesia

Moruroa, a mysterious island in French Polynesia used for nuclear testing

Moruroa is a small atoll in the southern Pacific Ocean.

It’s not clear why much of the island is censored, but some suspect it relates to the island’s nuclear history.

France undertook significant nuclear testing on the atoll between 1966 and 1996 – with as many as 181 tests performed during this time period.

Find it here – 21°50’14.0″S 138°54’06.6″W

2207 Seymour Avenue, Ohio

2207 Seymour Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio, was the home to a horrific series of kidnappings

This censored house is the site of the infamous Ariel Castro kidnappings, which took place between 2002 and 2004 in Cleveland, Ohio.

Three young women were kidnapped by Castro and held captive in his home – and remained imprisoned until May 2013.

One of the women eventually escaped and alerted the police. Castro was jailed for life plus 1,000 years in prison, but hung himself just one month into his sentence.

Find it here – 41°28’21.6″N 81°41’52.7″W

A house in Stockton-on-Tees

Princeport Road in Stockton-on-Tees plays host to a blurred house, and it’s not clear why

It’s not exactly clear why this house on Princeport Road in humble Stockton-on-Tees is blurred.

Even resident Jane Allison has no idea, saying:  “I’ve been in this house since 2000 but I have no idea why you can’t see it.

“If you find out it would be nice to know why.”

Find it here – 54°34’14.5″N 1°18’12.9″W

Jeannette Island, Russia

Jeannette Island off the coast of Russia is completely blacked out on Google Maps

Jeannette Island is a small island in the East Siberian Sea, measuring just 1.2 miles in length.

The island is mainly covered by ice, and has a 1,152-foot peak in the centre.

It’s not clear exactly why the island is blurred, although there have been issues around whether the island belongs to Russia or the USA.

Find it here – 76°47′24″N 157°58′00″E

North Korea

Google MapsA section to the left of North Korea is blurred on Google Maps[/caption]

It might come as no surprise that a section of North Korea is blurred out on Google Maps.

Just type in the secretive country’s name and look to the left where you should see a whole section of mystery.

Amchitka Island – Alaska

Sections of this island are blurredGoogle Maps

Amchitka Island was the site of US underground nuclear testing in the 1950s, 60s and 70s.

A quick search for it on Google Maps shows blurred out sections.

The US carried out its largest underground nuclear test there.

It’s currently under observation for any radioactive leakage and may become a limited access wildlife reserve in 2025.

Find it here

Greek military base

The Ayioi Anargyroi Military Base Athens is heavily blurred on Google Maps

This military base in Athens is completely pixellated.

It’s never been explicitly explained why, but often this kind of blurring is related to national security.

Find it here – 38°01′31″N 23°42′57″E

French nuclear facility

A French nuclear fuel reprocessing facility is unavailable to view on Google Maps

The AREVA La Hague nuclear fuel reprocessing facility in France is significantly blurred.

Opened in 1976, it treats spent nuclear fuel from several countries around the world.

It has faced controversy, however: Greenpeace has been campaigning for its shut-down since 1997, after claims that it dumps “one million litres of liquid radioactive waste per day” into the ocean.

Find it here – 49°40′49″N 1°52′48″W

Polish Special Forces base

Dowództwo Wojsk Specjalnych, the Polish Special Forces Command, is unsurprisingly censored

The Dowództwo Wojsk Specjalnych is the Special Forces Command.

The DWS was responsible for commanding and training Poland’s Special Forces, although a different organisation handles this now.

Its home remains blurred on Google Maps.

Find it here – 50°02′13″N 19°54′14″E

Patio de los Naranjos, Spain

“Patio de los Naranjos” plays host to Government buildings, and is blocked out on Google Maps

Patio de los Naranjos, which translates to Orange Tree Yard, is an area in Almeria, Spain.

It’s not clear why the area is blurred on Google Maps, but it likely relates to the government buildings in the vicinity.

Find it here – 36°50′20″N 2°28′20″W

Sandy Island, a “phantom” isle

Sandy Island is a ghost island that was eventually removed from maps

Sandy Island is what’s known as a “phantom island”.

It was charted for over a century as being located near New Caledonia (a French territory), and has been included on many maps and nautical charts.

It was first “discovered” and charted by Captain James Cook in September 1774, but was eventually “undiscovered” in 1979.

The island was displayed on Google Maps until November 2012, when Australian scientists confirmed the island’s absence.

Now all that remains is a view of the rise in the sea bed, which occupies the same shape as the original island.

Find it here – 19.22°S 159.93°E

In other news, little-known photographs of the 9/11 terror attacks are available to view on Google Earth.

Apple announced last month that it’s working on a new documentary about 9/11 featuring never-before-seen footage.

And, Facebook has launched new “prayer tools” which offer US megachurches the chance to raise funds and listen to prayer requests.

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