# Unusual things found on Google Maps **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 10, 2011, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-things-found-on-google-maps/584926 "2011-06-10T01:01:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-things-found-on-google-maps/584926/1 "2011-06-10T01:01:27Z")
I came across this and had a WTF moment: Majida Clinic, Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan 34.142127,73.235608 Scroll a little north-east from the Majida Clinic and there appears to be large-scale writing on the ground, is that really there or just an artefact? Anyone else come across anything odd on google maps? edited to add Majida Clinic is South-East of where that grid reference centers the map ---
**Author:** ![Sally\_Mander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e56c9b/32.png) [@Sally\_Mander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sally_Mander)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-things-found-on-google-maps/584926/2 "2011-06-10T01:06:34Z")
I’m not seeing the writing on the ground, but just north of the clinic is Osama’s hideout. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-things-found-on-google-maps/584926/3 "2011-06-10T01:11:40Z")
The only writing is see is the 2011 Google watermark. I do wonder what’s under the blue roof, though. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-things-found-on-google-maps/584926/4 "2011-06-10T01:13:29Z")
I see it, it says “HOME OF PIFFERS” ISTM that it’s really there. According to Wiki, the Piffers are part of the Pakistani Army. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-things-found-on-google-maps/584926/5 "2011-06-10T01:14:27Z")
Time machine? Nope, just an air show. Here is a 2006 article on an Avro Lancaster bomber caught by the Google Earth camera. > **[Google Earth menaced by WW2 bomber](https://www.theregister.com/2006/01/09/google_lancaster/)** > > Veteran aircraft caught in flight over UK ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-things-found-on-google-maps/584926/6 "2011-06-10T01:14:49Z")
Put “Majida Clinic, Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan” into Google Maps, then zoom in one or two times and you’ll see it. ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-things-found-on-google-maps/584926/7 "2011-06-10T01:15:25Z")
> [@YoSaffBridge](#): > > I’m not seeing the writing on the ground, but just north of the clinic is Osama’s hideout. That was what I was originally looking for when I stumbled across the writing. > [@Joey\_P](#): > > I see it, it says “HOME OF PIFFERS” ISTM that it’s really there. Thats it, weird, thats very large writing! ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-things-found-on-google-maps/584926/8 "2011-06-10T01:17:58Z")
> [@YoSaffBridge](#): > > I’m not seeing the writing on the ground, but just north of the clinic is Osama’s hideout. [Screenshot](http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w197/runnerpat/Boards/writingonground.jpg) from Google Earth. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-things-found-on-google-maps/584926/9 "2011-06-10T01:18:07Z")
> [@Disposable Hero](#): > > Thats it, weird, thats very large writing! Dragging it over to the scale at the corner, I’m guessing it’s about the size of a football field. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-things-found-on-google-maps/584926/10 "2011-06-10T01:20:13Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Dragging it over to the scale at the corner, I’m guessing it’s about the size of a football field. About 150x50 yds. The other one is a bit smaller. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-things-found-on-google-maps/584926/11 "2011-06-10T01:31:20Z")
Yeah, “HOME OF PIFFERS”. Weird. Have you seen the giant piece of tape on the shores of Lake Baikal? (53°50’19.27"N 109°12’26.06"E - previously discussed on these boards) ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-things-found-on-google-maps/584926/12 "2011-06-10T01:39:40Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > Yeah, “HOME OF PIFFERS”. Weird. > > Have you seen the giant piece of tape on the shores of Lake Baikal? (53°50’19.27"N 109°12’26.06"E - previously discussed on these boards) That’s actually part of the hidden alien expressway. ---
**Author:** ![Sally\_Mander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e56c9b/32.png) [@Sally\_Mander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sally_Mander)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-things-found-on-google-maps/584926/13 "2011-06-10T01:41:49Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Put “Majida Clinic, Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan” into Google Maps, then zoom in one or two times and you’ll see it. Thanks, I was zooming _out_. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-things-found-on-google-maps/584926/14 "2011-06-10T01:52:18Z")
For some neat writing that’s really there, go to 41°40’00.21”N 86°29’18.41” W, especially if you’re an American car buff. ---
**Author:** ![Baffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dec6dc/32.png) [@Baffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baffle)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-things-found-on-google-maps/584926/15 "2011-06-10T02:09:46Z")
It would be nice if you guys could figure out how latitude and longitude work. We have this perfectly good means of pinpointing an exact place on the earth’s surface! ( **njtt** , Google hates the DMS notation. [Here](http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=53.84N+109.22E&aq=&sll=53.638125,108.470764&sspn=0.658685,1.014862&gl=ca&ie=UTF8&ll=53.862044,109.375763&spn=0.17554,0.528374&t=h&z=12) is a direct link to your find.) Also, [this](http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Majida+Clinic,+Abbottabad,+Khyber+Pakhtunkhwa,+Pakistan&aq=&sll=34.145167,73.22789&sspn=0.003592,0.003964&gl=ca&ie=UTF8&hq=Majida+Clinic,&hnear=Abbott%C4%81bad,+Abbottabad,+Khyber+Pakhtunkhwa,+Pakistan&ll=34.141877,73.236081&spn=0.003849,0.008256&t=h&z=18) is the writing on the hill in Pakistan. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-things-found-on-google-maps/584926/16 "2011-06-10T02:54:57Z")
Funny. I just cut and pasted my coordinates into the Google maps search box. It went straight to the location. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-things-found-on-google-maps/584926/17 "2011-06-10T04:21:04Z")
Excellent! I have a news clipping from the 1920s about those trees in Indiana but didn’t know exactly where to look. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-things-found-on-google-maps/584926/18 "2011-06-10T04:42:55Z")
There is a copy of the White Horse of Uffington just west of Juarez Mexico. The [original](http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=51.577633,-1.56693&spn=0.002587,0.008256&t=h&z=18). The [copy.](http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=31.661308,-106.583283&spn=0.014173,0.033023&t=k&z=16) ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-things-found-on-google-maps/584926/19 "2011-06-10T04:51:53Z")
I can see my own car on Google Earth. It’s parked in my space behind my condo. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-things-found-on-google-maps/584926/20 "2011-06-10T05:50:37Z")
It must be a natural growth pattern. Next thing you’ll want me to believe that they carved Mt. Rushmore to look that way. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unusual-things-found-on-google-maps/584926.md?page=2)