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Earth is the only planet we know of so far where life exists and thrives. But not everywhere on our planet! Something in the most extreme and unusual places on Earth won't allow any life to exist, even at the microbial level!
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00:00Google launched its Google Maps service more than 15 years ago.
00:05Since then, curious users from all over the globe have been making exciting finds.
00:10For example, this band of holes in Peru.
00:13The band is about one mile long.
00:15It consists of more than 6,000 bizarre holes.
00:19All of them have different diameters and depths.
00:22This phenomenon has nothing in common with the more renowned Nazi lines.
00:27The purpose of this place, as well as its creators, has remained a mystery since 1933.
00:34That's when an aviator published an aerial photo of the holes.
00:38At the moment, archaeologists can only make assumptions.
00:43The most plausible theory is that the holes were storage pits constructed at the times of the Inca Empire.
00:50Well, I don't know whether it's true or not, but this band of holes gives me the creeps.
00:56And how about this artificial island in the Netherlands?
01:00It's located in Ketelmere Lake.
01:03The island looks exactly like a geological pin icon.
01:07But if you visit the place, you'll see that it's actually a depository that's no bigger than half a mile
01:13across.
01:14It's used to store polluted silt.
01:16And here's another island, nicknamed Galesniak, which means Lover's Island.
01:24This place lies in the Adriatic Sea between Italy and Croatia.
01:29The place is nothing more than an uninhibited piece of land, with no fresh water or any constructions.
01:36But the island's owners are trying to use the internet fame their property has gained over the years.
01:43These two long barren patches actually look like two scars going across the heart.
01:49But the reason for their appearance is way less romantic.
01:53Those are the marks left by bulldozers.
01:56The island owners want to plant olive trees to turn the place into a perfect wedding location.
02:02You can enjoy all the beauty of Dublin's shamrock maze only from the air.
02:08The place is located to the south of Dublin Airport and the side of the freeway.
02:12When you're flying to Ireland next time, keep an eye out for it.
02:18Because you won't be able to get to this place by land in any case.
02:23Google Street View shows that the road leading to the maze ends with a big metal gate.
02:28The sign on this gate warns you that it's private property guarded by dogs.
02:34If I were you, I wouldn't risk it.
02:37If you still want to find the way out of a maze, you should go to the UK.
02:43This giant fingerprint is called the Finger Maze.
02:46You can find it in the Hove Park in the city of Brighton and Hove.
02:50The maze is a public sculpture lined with stone and lime mortar.
02:55The environmental artist Chris Drury created the Finger Maze in 2006.
03:00The sculpture symbolizes the journey of life.
03:04Look at this luxury cruise ship.
03:06I wouldn't mind boarding it to go on a trip around the world.
03:11The only problem?
03:12It's not real.
03:14It's a ship-shaped shopping mall lost in a forest of giant Twitter hashtags in Hong Kong.
03:20The mall was built in the middle of Wanpoa Gardens.
03:23That's a huge apartment complex built on the side of former dockyards.
03:28The complex is 360 feet long and several stories high.
03:32Besides the cruise ship mall, you'll find their movie theaters, restaurants, stores and even a mini indoor theme park.
03:41Well, if not a luxurious sea cruise, then at least I can do some shopping.
03:47You can probably learn geography with the help of the world map at Lake Clay Troop.
03:53Soren Polson, a local farmer, created it by hand between 1944 and 1967.
03:59The man used stones and grass.
04:01First, he dragged lots of rocks to the edge of the lake.
04:05Then, during the winter months, he used a sled to bring the stones to their place.
04:10And finally, in the spring, when the ice melted, the man easily tilted the stones into place.
04:16Soren must have been very dedicated to his idea, because some of the stones weighed more than two tons.
04:24The world map includes tiny lakes and rivers.
04:28It even has mini boats for people to sail the Pacific Ocean in the summer.
04:33There's also an 18-hole mini golf course, a playground and a picnic area.
04:39Now we're moving to China, to a much more mysterious place.
04:43Colossal symbols there look as if they were printed on the surface of the Gobi Desert.
04:49There have been loads of theories about their origin, but the symbols turn out to be a human creation.
04:56Jonathan Hill is a research technician and mission planner at the Mars Space Flight Facility at Arizona State University.
05:04He thinks these grids are most likely satellite calibration targets.
05:08When you look at a Bulford Kiwi in the Google Maps version, the bird looks a bit too stretched and
05:16kinda skinny.
05:17But the national icon of the New Zealand is still perfectly recognizable.
05:21In 2007, the Kiwi was cleaned and now it looks as white as new.
05:27The Bulford Kiwi was carved in 1919 in the chalk of the Beacon Hill in England.
05:33This tradition of carving figures into the chalks of Wilshire goes back to the Neolithic age that started in 10
05:40,000 BCE.
05:42These potash evaporation ponds in the USA are out of this world.
05:47The electric blue ponds create a shocking contrast with the reddish brown soil in the Utah desert.
05:53They're a place for extracting potassium chloride.
05:57It's also known as potash.
05:58In Google Maps photos, you can see the most famous and most photographed potash mine.
06:04It's located in Moab, Utah.
06:06One of the coolest things you can see on Google Maps is the Atacama Giant in Chile.
06:12This geoglyph is more than a thousand years old and almost 300 feet long.
06:18Geoglyphs are large designs in the ground.
06:21They're usually made of rocks, stones and gravel or carved in the soil.
06:26When this bizarre face was found in Antarctica, it provoked tons of heated discussions and insane theories.
06:35But scientists claim there's a more logical explanation.
06:38It can be the result of pareidolia.
06:41This bizarre effect causes your brain to see structures and patterns where they don't exist.
06:47This is the reason why people notice recognizable shapes in clouds, rock formations and other objects.
06:54Up close, the face isn't likely to look like a giant half hidden in the snow.
06:59All you'll see will be just ice covered with cracks.
07:04But whatever it is, I bet anyone who suddenly sees this face on Google Maps is bound to start getting
07:11strange ideas.
07:13Loner Lake in India appeared when an asteroid collided with our planet about 50,000 years ago.
07:20The rim of the meteor crater is about 6,000 feet across.
07:24The lake itself is a bit smaller, with a diameter of around 4,000 feet.
07:28So far there is nothing unusual about this place.
07:32But only until you found out that in June 2020 something happened to Loner Lake.
07:38The water changed its color from green to bright pink for a couple of days.
07:43Experts believe this change might have been caused by increased salinity in the water.
07:49It could also be the presence of algae or the combination of both factors.
07:53In any case, I wouldn't dare to swim in the water of Loner Lake.
08:00Has Google Earth just shown you a colossal target symbol in the middle of the Nevada desert?
08:07It isn't a joke, Photoshop or an art object.
08:10Most likely this huge thing is a marking used as an aerial photo calibration target.
08:17And finally, my favorite one, an underwater car in the Bahamas.
08:23It remained on the bottom of the fresh creek for quite some time.
08:27No one knows the history behind this unusual find.
08:31I'd give a lot to know how this poor car turned up there.
08:37If you're picking a vacation spot, you should definitely look at this list.
08:41And then remember to never visit any of these places.
08:44They're incredibly dangerous, and life struggles to exist in them at all.
08:49This is Ethiopia's geothermal field, Dalal.
08:53With toxic green pools and bright orange sand, the landscape here resembles another planet.
08:59Scientists believe that it shares a good resemblance with the surface of Jupiter's moon, Io.
09:04The bright yellows and oranges just scream that this place is poisonous.
09:09And your instincts are right.
09:11Dalal is full of sulfur, which makes it uninhabitable.
09:15This place looks so crazy because it's actually in the mouth of a volcano.
09:20What's even more strange is that, unlike normal volcanoes, this one is inverted.
09:25Most volcanoes rise into the sky like mountains, but Dalal is indented.
09:30The mouth of the volcano sits at 160 feet below sea level.
09:36The surface above the volcano is covered with water reservoirs, soil, and crazy mineral formations that look like coral reefs.
09:44All of this is created by the activity of the magma about two and a half miles underground.
09:50The magma heats the water in the ground, and it begins to rise through layers of salt.
09:56When the volcano is live, it produces a lot more magma, which forces more water up to the surface.
10:02The water brings minerals up with it, and they create the fake coral reef.
10:07The breathtaking visuals at Dalal don't end at the mineral formations.
10:12There's even a purple and yellow lake.
10:15You wouldn't want to risk swimming in it, though.
10:17The lake's temperature is above that of boiling water.
10:22The heat is one of the main reasons that this isn't the perfect vacation destination.
10:27Dalal's average temperature is higher than anywhere else on Earth, at about 94 degrees Fahrenheit.
10:33By comparison, the average temperature across the United States is about 54 degrees.
10:40This part of the world barely ever experiences rain, so it's one of the driest places on the planet as
10:46well.
10:48Amazingly, people were once settled in this incredibly hostile climate.
10:52The small village evacuated, though, leaving Dalal deserted.
10:57Dalal has the highest average temperature on Earth, but there is a place with a higher recorded peak temperature.
11:03Death Valley, California was recorded to reach 134 degrees Fahrenheit at one point.
11:10That's so hot that you couldn't even fry an egg on the rocks there.
11:13It would just burn within a few seconds.
11:16Unlike Dalal, it isn't always this unhospitable.
11:20It can be comfortable for humans from November to February, and it has even seen rain and snow.
11:26The temperature might not even be far from what you have at home.
11:30This valley is also home to some stones that were nicknamed the Sailing Stones.
11:36These huge rocks sit at the bottom of a dried lake, and they sometimes move without anyone knowing why.
11:42They weigh several hundred pounds, and it wouldn't be possible for a person to move them.
11:48So the process was a complete mystery for years.
11:52After a while, scientists noticed that the stones moved infrequently.
11:57Maybe only once every three or four years.
12:00They only move a couple of dozen feet, too.
12:03Using this information, they eventually realized that the rocks were actually being moved whenever it got icy.
12:10On the coldest nights, at the bottom of the dried up lake, a thin layer of ice began to form.
12:17Then the wind would begin to move the rocks slowly, at a speed of 6 to 16 feet per minute,
12:23along the bottom of the lake.
12:24The stones could only go so small a distance, because it was icy so infrequently.
12:30We travel from the hottest place on the planet to the coldest, Vostok Station, Antarctica.
12:36The lowest temperature ever on Earth was recorded here, at negative 128 degrees Fahrenheit.
12:43That's 18 times colder than your refrigerator.
12:47It isn't just freezing, though.
12:49The station is located at an altitude of 11,500 feet.
12:54At this elevation, there's much less oxygen, which can cause dizziness and breathing problems.
12:59The people who work here have to experience the polar night.
13:03This means that they spend 120 days a year in total darkness.
13:08All of these extreme conditions combine to make it one of the most dangerous places on Earth.
13:14There is another place called Death Valley in Russia.
13:18It isn't dangerous because of high temperatures or dryness.
13:21Instead, it gained its reputation because of some scary, mystical events.
13:26Some people traveling through the Russian wilderness stumbled upon strange structures that looked a bit like giant, half-buried cauldrons.
13:36The travelers used them as shelter from the elements, and some disappeared without a trace.
13:42When people returned to the same area, they fell ill.
13:46Nobody understood what the cauldrons were or what was happening, so they began to gain a supernatural reputation.
13:53The valley has been subject to a number of investigations in which researchers try to solve the mystery of the
13:59area.
14:00They went on exploratory expeditions and even got a better view of the situation from the air.
14:06On one of these expeditions, a pilot discovered a new cauldron.
14:11When he landed and found it, though, he found that it was actually just the opening to a small cave.
14:16The modern understanding is that all of the cauldrons were really just strange rock formations and entrances to caves.
14:25The tired and confused travelers were just bewildered by their unusual appearance.
14:31The illnesses and disappearances were likely a result of the dangerous gases released in local geothermal activity.
14:38In reality, the travelers were probably camping out in an area with an accumulation of CO2 or other poisonous gases.
14:47Most of these places have been so dangerous that they make it difficult for even the hardiest bacteria to survive.
14:54But some places are so dangerous because of the creatures that live there.
14:58Snake Island is thriving and filled with life, but it's just as inhospitable to people as the other places on
15:05this list.
15:06It sits 21 miles off the coast of Brazil and hosts some of the world's most venomous snakes.
15:13Some people claimed that there could be as many as half a million snakes in total.
15:18That turns out to be an exaggeration, though.
15:20In reality, there are likely only about 4,000 venomous snakes.
15:25The movement of the Earth trapped them on the island many years ago.
15:29Initially, there was a strip of land connecting the island to the mainland.
15:33But over time, changing sea levels and land movements cut them off.
15:38The snakes and a few other animals were left to live on the island in isolation.
15:43It isn't just that you shouldn't visit this island.
15:46You're actually banned from setting foot on it unless you have a special pass for researching the island's wildlife.
15:53This measure is in place to protect people from the venomous snakes and to protect the rare species of snake
15:59from humanity.
16:00The only man-made object on the island is a lighthouse designed to help ships avoid the island.
16:06When it was built and automated, humans left the island forever.
16:11Other dangerous places have been created by humanity itself.
16:15One of the craziest is North Yungas Road in Bolivia.
16:19This is a 43-mile stretch of road that winds through the mountains.
16:23The narrow trail is cut into the cliff side with a sheer drop on one side.
16:29If you looked out your window, you would see a 2,000-foot drop into a seemingly never-ending chasm.
16:36It's described as a cycle path, but you can often see huge trucks traveling along this road.
16:42This can cause huge problems because the road isn't wide enough for two large vehicles to pass each other.
16:48About 300 cars go missing here every year.
16:52The constant rockfalls, waterfalls, fog, and rain make this place even more dangerous.
16:59Bolivia is home to another dangerous place that you wouldn't want to risk visiting.
17:04Madidi National Park.
17:05The park is a vast jungle, larger than 20 New York cities.
17:10The whole area is filled with dangerous plants, animals, and insects.
17:15It's highly discouraged to visit this park without being accompanied by experts.
17:20Unlike humans, some living things can survive in incredibly hostile conditions.
17:25The gateway to the underworld in Turkmenistan would be completely impossible to visit for any human being.
17:32The terrifying crater was made when a gas field collapsed in on itself.
17:37This freed all of the dangerous gases, so scientists decided to set it alight to prevent it from poisoning the
17:44surrounding area.
17:45The fire was lit 50 years ago, and it still burns today.
17:50The temperature at the bottom of the crater is extremely high, but some bacteria have found a way to survive,
17:57even here.
17:58These bacteria are entirely unique to this one small area, and they live entirely engulfed in flames.
18:06Similarly, life can also exist at extremely low temperatures.
18:11Scientists drilled a borehole 12,000 feet deep into the ice of Antarctica.
18:16On these excavated pieces of ice, they found an unknown bacterium.
18:21We don't have any idea how it could survive such extreme temperatures.
18:25What's more, bacteria can exist even in space.
18:29Scientists found bacteria on the outer surface of the International Space Station.
18:34It spent three years there, at extremely low temperatures and intense solar radiation.
18:39And still, it survived.
18:43The avenue of the Baobabs is probably the most incredible and surreal avenue in the world.
18:50To see it, head to Madagascar.
18:52It's not the only giant thing you can find there.
18:55This island is also home to huge comet moths.
18:59Their wingspan is crazy, up to 8 inches.
19:02So you don't even need to look for iffy bottles with Drink Me signs on it to significantly shrink in
19:08size.
19:10Wakuchina looks like an oasis in the middle of a desert.
19:13Oh wait, it actually is a desert.
19:15But unlike many others, it has a bunch of clubs and bars.
19:19A fun thing you can do there is sandboarding and even bodyboarding.
19:24Make sure you've got the glasses on and your mouth's tightly closed.
19:29The Tunnel of Love in Cleveland, Ukraine is completely covered with plants.
19:34Some couples believe that if they go through this two-and-a-half-mile-long tunnel together, their dream might
19:41come true.
19:41Be careful what you wish for, though.
19:44There are trains going through this tunnel three times every day.
19:49The dark hedges in Northern Ireland seem a bit creepy because of the legend that surrounds this alley.
19:55The locals say the road is haunted by the ghost called the Grey Lady.
20:00By the way, guess what TV show was filmed here?
20:04In Northern Portugal, there's a wonderful house that looks like a prehistoric building, almost like a cave, but it's an
20:12actual cottage.
20:13It's called Casa Du Pinedo, which literally means boulder house, and it's a tiny museum now.
20:20From far away, it looks like a huge stone and a perfect dwelling for some mysterious creature.
20:26Another such abode is in Italy, somewhere in the middle of Rescenzi.
20:31It's an artificial lake created as a result of flooding.
20:35This place is famous for its 14th century church standing right in the water.
20:40So the only time you can get there on foot is in winter, when and if the lake freezes over.
20:47One lake you can definitely take a stroll on is Baikal.
20:51No wonder, located in the heart of Siberia, it freezes over every winter.
20:56It's so large that it has 27 islands on it.
21:00It's also the deepest lake in the world, reaching almost 5,400 feet.
21:06Off to hot waters!
21:08Grand Prismatic Spring in Wyoming is the largest spring in the U.S.
21:13and the third largest water source of this kind in the world.
21:16Don't you dare swim there!
21:18Not only is it boiling hot, you'll also have to face a fine for that.
21:23Enjoy it safely on the shore.
21:26Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy, France is the top fairytale destination if you ever wanted to feel like a prince
21:33or princess.
21:34The magnificent castle is surrounded by water, but not all the time.
21:39It all depends on the moon.
21:41The highest tide can be seen 36 to 48 hours after a full moon.
21:46When I was there, I saw only a deserted area with a few puddles.
21:52A night sky with thousands of stars has those romantic vibes, but the literal sea of stars probably has even
21:59more.
21:59Welcome to the Maldives' Vathu Island.
22:03The beaches here glow blue at night, thanks to the bioluminescent plankton in the water.
22:09You didn't think these were real stars, did you?
22:12If the stars don't interest you that much, you'd likely like the sky full of balloons.
22:18Cappadocia, a region in Turkey, is originally famous for incredible rock formations, but it also attracts visitors thanks to its
22:26wonderful hot air balloon experience.
22:29For those who always wanted to walk on clouds whenever they peeped out of the window on a plane, good
22:35news guys!
22:35You can do just that in Bolivia.
22:38It's not a literal cloud, but an extremely large salt tile.
22:43It's called Salar de Uyuni, and it mirrors the sky during the wet season, creating that illusion of infinity and
22:50walking on the sky.
22:52In Colombia, make sure to visit the Las Lajus Sanctuary.
22:57To get to the church itself, you'll need to cross a bridge that seems to be hung right in the
23:02air, and there's some fast-flowing water underneath you.
23:07Well, we're back in France.
23:09It's Colmar-Alsance region, and just look at these houses.
23:14Colorful facades made of timber, canals all adorned with flowers and cobblestone streets.
23:20Germany is full of cities with these cozy gingerbread houses, and Rothenberg-Abdutabur is not an exception.
23:28It's an almost fully preserved medieval town with dozens of multicolored facades and authentic taverns.
23:35It looks especially magical in winter, with snow-dusted roofs and awesome holiday markets.
23:42In Iceland, many houses have grass roofs.
23:45Such dwellings are called turf houses, and grass on top of them has multiple functions.
23:51It not only decorates, but also protects houses from heavy rains.
23:55The grass grows in the foundation made of lava rock and needs regular trimming.
24:01In Costa Rica, on the islands of Isla de Caño, there's an assortment of about 300 circular objects of different
24:09sizes.
24:09Locals call them las bolas, which is simply the balls in English.
24:15These stones have an almost perfectly round shape.
24:18Some of them are huge, weighing up to 16 tons each.
24:22They're also made of different materials – gabbro, limestone, and sandstone.
24:27They're considered to have been put in lines in front of the chief's houses.
24:30Nobody knows for sure where those balls came from, but some myths claim they originated from Atlantis.
24:38A place called Angel Fall speaks for itself.
24:42It does look idyllic.
24:44It's the world's tallest uninterrupted waterfall, many times taller than Niagara Falls.
24:50The water falls in cascades, and much of it evaporates on its way down, which creates an illusion of those
24:57beautiful clouds.
24:59If you're into dazzling shine, try visiting the Grand Crystal Cave in Mexico.
25:05You can only do so under professional supervision, but it's definitely worth it.
25:10Chances are, you've never seen a crystal twice your body size.
25:15In Morocco, there's a town called Chefchaouen in which the prevalent color is sky blue.
25:22Not azure, not cornflower blue, and not turquoise.
25:25Most dwellings there are painted the most beautiful shade of blue you've ever seen.
25:30The place is not easily accessible.
25:32It's located in the Riff Mountains.
25:36One more sky blue place is Santorini, which is probably a bit more easily accessible.
25:41The dwellings are painted white, but almost all the roofs are of a vibrant blue shade.
25:47The white paint is to keep the heat away and make sure you've got the most Instagrammable location.
25:54In Slovenia, don't forget to visit one of the world's most spectacular spots – Lake Bled.
26:00The color is truly aquamarine.
26:03No, it's not photoshopped.
26:05Right in the middle of the lake, there's a cliff which is actually a small island.
26:09There's a castle and a couple of other dwellings, too.
26:13To sweeten the trip even more, try a piece of blood cream cake baked with a secret recipe.
26:20When you first see a photo of Moraine Lake in Canada, you'll probably believe it's either photoshopped or painted by
26:27a professional artist.
26:28But this place is real.
26:30Combining a myriad of blue shades that feel so idyllic, you don't want to ever leave here.
26:37Bagan, the mysterious land located in Myanmar, has all the ingredients to be a truly out-of-the-fairytale spot.
26:45You can enjoy all the exotic vegetation, misty mountain landscape, and numerous temples riding a bike.
26:52Or you can see it from a hot air balloon.
26:55The Philippines have a bunch of things to see, but there's definitely something special about local beaches.
27:02If you ever go there, the hidden beach in the El Nido itinerary is the perfect place to enjoy some
27:08solitude.
27:09The beach is securely protected from boats and unwanted weather conditions by limestone coves.
27:15In the Italian region of Liguria, there's dozens of precious beaches you'll never forget.
27:22Bay of Poets in Porto Venere is one of them.
27:26The beach is located right on the cliff, and there's also underwater caves you can swim into.
27:31It's called Bay of Poets because the legend says Byron got inspired there, swimming across the bay in search of
27:39his muse, which he eventually found.
27:42The area Cinque Terre is in Liguria, too, and is really close.
27:47So if you always wanted to see those Italian cliffs and see wallpaper in real life, head there.
27:53The legend has it that seamen would paint their houses bright colors to find the way home easier.
28:00The Isle of Skye, Scotland, could be a perfect decoration for some historical TV show about proud knights and their
28:08maidens.
28:08There are also probably some fairies in the fairy pools in Fairy Glen.
28:13The must-see here is the Old Man of Storr, a hill that combines rocky and steep sides.
28:20There are no legends or anything, but it's one of the most inspiring and photographed areas on our planet.
28:26At first sight, if you take a look at it from the land, it'll seem just a stone bridge.
28:32But its main secret is to look at it from the water.
28:35The bridge reflection forms a perfect circle that looks like some sort of a portal to a hidden underwater world.
28:42It's located in Saxony and is just a short drive from Berlin or Dresden.
28:47to be a happy treasure.
28:48By the way, the First Road is to turn on the wall of Skye's fleets andennialism.
28:48Now, let's turn on the wall of Skye'snees!