Places That Don’t Exist on Google Maps: Hidden Corners of the World

In an era where satellites hover above every corner of the globe and our smartphones can guide us to the nearest coffee shop in seconds, it’s tempting to believe that the entire Earth has been mapped, measured, and mastered. But the truth is, some places remain mysteriously absent from Google Maps—the world’s most widely used digital mapping service. Whether due to political sensitivities, government secrecy, religious reverence, or simple oversight, there are still regions, towns, and landmarks that have been intentionally blurred, misrepresented, or entirely excluded from Google’s all-seeing eye.

This article explores some of those enigmatic locations—the places that, for one reason or another, you can’t quite find on Google Maps.

1. Jeannette Island and Bennett Island – Russia’s Arctic Ghosts

Located in the East Siberian Sea, Jeannette and Bennett Islands are remote landmasses in the Russian Arctic. Despite their existence being confirmed by explorers and satellite imagery, these islands are notably hard to locate on Google Maps. Sometimes they appear as featureless blobs, and other times, they vanish entirely from view.

Their omission may be due to military activity or the extreme remoteness making detailed mapping unnecessary. Russia's Arctic region is home to several military bases and sensitive installations, making it a likely candidate for digital obscurity.

2. Moruroa Atoll – French Nuclear Testing Site

Moruroa Atoll, part of French Polynesia, was used by France for nuclear testing from 1966 to 1996. It is a remote and restricted location, and its portrayal on Google Maps has been patchy at best. In some views, the island appears normally; in others, it is pixelated or cloud-covered—an old tactic used to obscure sensitive imagery.

While satellite photos exist, ground-level street view data is non-existent, and detailed zooming often reveals less than what you'd expect for such a historically significant site.

3. Sandy Island – The Island That Never Was

In 2012, a team of Australian scientists debunked the existence of Sandy Island, a landmass supposedly located in the Coral Sea off the northwest coast of New Caledonia. Despite appearing on maps (including Google Maps) for years, the team sailed through its supposed coordinates and found nothing but open ocean.

This phantom island, which also appeared on naval charts dating back to the 19th century, was eventually removed from most digital maps, but its former presence highlights how some places on Google Maps are simply errors—ghosts of cartography.

4. Area 51 – America’s Worst-Kept Secret

Perhaps the most famous “missing” place on Earth is Area 51, the top-secret U.S. military base in Nevada associated with UFO theories and experimental aircraft testing. While Google Maps now displays satellite imagery of the area, there are still no street views available, and early versions of the map would blur or erase the site altogether.

Even now, many surrounding roads are not labeled in detail, and on-site infrastructure is difficult to interpret unless you know what you’re looking for. Area 51 is a prime example of how governments influence what appears on digital maps.

5. The House of the Dutch Royal Family – The Netherlands

Certain private residences, including those of world leaders and royalty, are intentionally obscured on Google Maps. In the Netherlands, the homes of the Dutch royal family are blurred out, appearing as pixelated blobs even when neighboring houses are clearly visible.

This privacy measure reflects national security concerns and personal privacy rights. Other notable blurred properties include the White House (formerly partially blurred), and various intelligence agency buildings.

6. North Korea – The Great Digital Black Hole

For years, North Korea was nearly a blank slate on Google Maps. While some major roads and the capital city of Pyongyang have been labeled more recently, most of the country remains astonishingly vague. There are no street views, almost no businesses listed, and the satellite imagery is of much lower quality than surrounding nations.

This lack of detail reflects the reclusive government’s tight control over information and the limited access granted to foreigners. North Korea is, in many ways, the last cartographic mystery left in the modern world.

7. Indigenous Sacred Sites – Australia

In Australia, several sacred Indigenous sites are either not marked or are blurred out on Google Maps. Uluru (formerly known as Ayers Rock) is one of the most recognizable natural landmarks, but nearby sacred sites—particularly those not open to the public—are left unmarked.

This omission is often at the request of Aboriginal communities who seek to protect these sites from tourist interference and preserve cultural secrecy. Google has collaborated with some Indigenous groups to create digital experiences that reflect their history, while still respecting what should remain unseen.

8. Volk Field Air National Guard Base – USA

Volk Field in Wisconsin is another American military site that’s visible from above but notably lacks detail. You can see the runway and some buildings, but the area is devoid of labels, road data, or street view options. Like other strategic defense locations, it may be intentionally underrepresented to minimize risks from public scrutiny or hostile actors.

9. Taiwan’s Military Installations

While Taiwan appears in detail on Google Maps, certain military bases and radar stations are obscured or mislabeled. This selective mapping is likely due to national security concerns in light of tensions with China. In some cases, military structures are either not rendered at all or are tagged ambiguously as “government buildings.”

Google has been careful to balance transparency with regional politics, often deferring to governmental requests for restricted data.

10. Hidden Places by User Request

Google Maps also allows private individuals and governments to request blurring of sensitive or personal locations. This includes survivors of domestic abuse who wish to obscure their residences, celebrities seeking privacy, and religious institutions that prefer discretion.

This user-driven obscurity means that even ordinary places—like a house in the suburbs or a retreat center in the woods—may not appear clearly, or at all, depending on the privacy settings applied.

Why Do Places Disappear?

There are several reasons why a location may not appear on Google Maps, or appears with reduced detail:

Governmental censorship or security protocols
User or owner privacy requests
Cultural or religious sensitivity
Outdated or incorrect map data
Commercial or strategic interests

These blind spots remind us that, for all its sophistication, digital mapping is still influenced by human judgment, political compromise, and technological limitation.

Conclusion: The Unmapped World Still Exists

While Google Maps has brought the world closer than ever before, it has not made it fully transparent. Some places remain hidden, blurred, or entirely erased from our digital gaze, either by design or by default. Whether it’s a top-secret military base, a phantom island, or a sacred site known only to a few, these gaps in the map are powerful reminders: even in the age of information, mystery still exists.

So next time you scroll through the globe on your screen, remember: what you don’t see might be just as interesting as what you do.

Places That Don’t Exist on Google Maps: Hidden Corners of the World