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September 28th, 2012, 08:31 GMT · By

5 Hidden Spots on Google Maps and What Is Behind the Pixels

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Volkel Airbase, Netherlands
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Mysteriously blurred-out images on Google Maps spark conspiracy theories, in this compilation, put together by trutv.com.

The Volkel Airbase is a military airbase used by the Royal Netherlands Air Force. Volkel is believed to be a storage facility for nuclear weapons since the '60s. The Dutch Ministry of Defence has never admitted to Volkel being a nuclear base, but a book published by former air force pilot Steve Netto revealed that the facility was storing 50 B28 nuclear bombs during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, Wikipedia
informs.

Volkel is believed to be the location that classified United States diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks in 2010 referred to, when they mentioned the presence of nuclear weapons in the Netherlands.

The country of North Korea and the Iraqi city of Babylon are completely blurred out by Google. In the case of Babylon one can see the surrounding farmland, without being able to check out the city. The ancient city of Babylon, now completely urbanized, is listed on Google Maps as Babil, and appears to be a rural location.

The entire country of North Korea is a big pixelated blur on Google Maps. North Korea exists in images, but looks like it has no streets, highways or cities of any kind. In 2011, Gizmodo had covered a story about concentration camps in North Korea being visible on Google Earth, the existence of which is not acknowledged by government officials.

North Korean concentration camps are believed to hold more than 200,000 prisoners. Spokesmen for Amnesty International had stated at the time that the camps had grown in size and population density since last documented in images, 10 years before.

The Szazhalombatta Oil Refinery in Hungary is completely blocked out on Google Earth. All the buildings and roads are rendered as flat grass, only visible as a giant green area.

The Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany appears partially blacked out on Google maps. The facility is a well-known NATO air force hub, and is considered at risk of terrorist attacks as it serves as HQ for Operation Iraqi Freedom forces.
Babylon, Iraq
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North Korea
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Szazhalombatta Oil Refinery, Hungary
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Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany
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North Korean death camps
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READER COMMENTS:


Comment #1 by: dianu on 25 Mar 2013, 18:09 UTC reply to this comment

I don't know what kind of internet you're using, but N. Korea is crystal clear both on Gogle Maps and Google Earth, including Pyongyang.

Comment #1.1 by: Raluca Anghel on 26 Mar 2013, 07:34 GMT

North Korea has only been documented in detail on Google Maps since January.

"On Tuesday, the company revised its Google Maps application to add information for North Korea—from naming streets to marking the outlines of prison camps—beginning to flesh out a national map that has been largely unannotated since Google started providing maps online and for mobile devices eight years ago."

Wall Street Journal
January 29, 2013

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323375204578271201719130798.html

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