Secretive Russian island that disappeared from Google Maps sparking mystery
We live in an age where you have the world in the palm of your hands. Thanks to Google Maps, people can virtually travel anywhere from the comfort of their own home. However, not everywhere can be found on the site.
A remote island in the East Siberian Sea, which measures just 3.3 square kilometres, has been shrouded in mystery after users found it has been censored on
Google Maps.
Jeannette Island, which is recognised as Russian territory, appears as a black mark on the search giant’s digital map.
Google has continued to keep quiet over why it has obscured the tiny island.
Jeannette Island is mainly covered in ice and has a 1152-foot peak in the centre.
Images of the island were provided to Google by The International Bathymetric Chart of the Arctic Ocean.
This project sets out to map the Arctic Ocean initiated in Saint
Petersburg.
It is unclear as to why exactly the island has been blurred, however, there have been longstanding issues around who the territory belongs to - Russia or the United States?
Some believe this dispute to be the reason behind the black mark. The island sits north of Russia and was discovered in 1881 during an expedition led by American Navy officer George E. De Long.
The explorer had hoped to find open waters in the Arctic Ocean but became trapped in thick ice near Herald Island in September 1879. He then drifted for hundreds of miles before approaching Jeannette Island in May 1881.
De Long and his crew took shelter on the island and took possession of it in the name of the United States.
The named the island after their ship, the USS Jeannette.