You'd never expect to find THIS out in the middle of the deserts of Egypt!

27°22'49.08"N 33°37'56.09"E

Just 2 miles west of the El Gouna resort, on the shore of the Red Sea (Egypt), lies an impressive example of land art called "Desert Breath." Created by Greek artist Danae Stratou and the DAST art team from 1995 to 1997. It covers 100,000 square meters, and took several years to create. When created, there was a fairly deep pool of water at its center, and the whole project was designed to slowly erode over time.

This family wins Valentine's Day!

41°18'12.53"N 81°54'6.08"W

This heart-shaped body of water is in a front yard of a house near Strongsville, Ohio.

Big Bird in Australia. A really, really BIG bird!

32° 7'2.45"S 133°41'50.24"E

Giant emu in a field near Ceduna, Australia, created by arranging shrubs. It's over a thousand feet long, from head to toe.... assuming emus have toes.

Long Live Chairman Mao! Whoops, never mind.

42°39'14.51"N 94° 9'58.30"E

In the area near XinXiang, China, huge geoglyphs like this one are fairly common. This one says (roughly translated) "Long Live Chairman Mao." I'm guessing when someone like that dies, they don't exactly rush out and start taking down megalithic signs like this one, which is 1300 feet from end to end.

Rabbit Shaped Island, because... Rabbit Shaped Island!!

53°14'50.67"N 6°23'20.42"E

It's an island..... shaped like a rabbit. I haven't found much more about it than that. But then again, I'm not sure you can say much more about it than that.

Try being a "Maze Runner" here!

17°15'21.21"N 78°40'46.04"E

India's version of America's Universal Studios, Ramoji Film City is the world's largest film studio, and serves as a tourist attraction/theme park as well. It is situated near Hayathnagar, about 25 km from Hyderabad.

The Other Stonehenge, in the USA

45°41'39.39"N 120°48'19.87"W

Built as the nation’s first World War I Memorial, a replica of Stonehenge lies at what was the original Maryhill town site, near Goldendale, Washington. Believing the original Stonehenge in Great Britain was used for sacrifices, Samuel Hill constructed the replica in honor of the war dead of Klickitat County. Hill wanted the Memorial to serve as a reminder that “humanity is still being sacrificed to the god of war.”

What's big and round, and in Mexico?

19°19'6.61"N 99°10'56.05"W

Inside the ecological reserve of the Ciudad Universitaria of Mexico stands the Sculptural Space (Espacio Escultorio). It is a big round natural solidified lava bed surrounded by many white triangular prisms that seem to radiate from its center, a bit like a sunflower. Watch a video about it at YouTube.

Jesus Lives... in South Australia!

35° 0'1.90"S 139° 1'39.60"E

After all, God revealed himself to Moses in a burning bush... so why couldn't He reveal himself to the rest of the world by spelling it out in.... trees?

What do you call a giant Australian cowboy? Mundi Man

31°40'27.10"S 141°14'22.10"E

This geoglyph is billed as the world's largest work of art, spanning 5 million square yards across the Mundi Mundi desert of Australia. The work, called "Mundi Man" or "Eldee Man", is the creation of an artist who calls himself simply "Ando," and was accomplished with the use of a tractor.

Yes, there is a giant honkin' pyramid in the Netherlands!

52° 5'25.01"N 5°20'35.14"E

When one thinks of pyramids, one usually thinks of Egypt, or Central America. You don't typically think: the Netherlands. And yet, right there, in the Dutch town of Austerlitz, is a big ol' honkin' pyramid. It was built in 1804 by the soldiers of general Auguste Marmont. It used to be a popular activity to climb to the top of the watch tower at summit of the pyramid, but today, the tower is no longer open to the public. Cool stuff, huh?

The Mysterious Facilites on Ascension Island

7°56'15.41"S 14°22'29.50"W

There are at least eight similar plots of land with these strange markings on them scattered across the central part of tiny Ascension Island, near the Joint U.S. & RAF airbase there. One of the plots is within sight of the local golf course. The others are close to satellite antennas and roads. It is tempting to classify them as probable antenna arrays of some sort, but there's very little evidence of that to base such an assumption on. No shadows to speak of, and the central white object isn't always centered. If they are military targets of some sort, they are (1) awfully close to popluated areas and in recent good shape, (2) unusually shaped, and (3) don't show any impact craters or marks that would indicate they've been used for target practice. Anyone know anything about these things?

UPDATE: A reader passes this along, to solve the mystery: Nothing quite so exciting as aliens I'm afraid! :)  These are Array sites. They contain underground sensors that detect explosions like volcanoes, earthquakes etc... The following site explains what they are and shows a close up photo:  

http://www.sartma.com/artc_1292_AC_83_1.html

The Sutton Mandeville Badges, England

51° 2'33.87"N 2° 1'29.86"W

Two military badges cut into the hillside above Sutton Mandeville in 1916, depicting the emblems of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment and the 7th City of London Battalion. Local authorities have decided to allow the emblems to grass over, so they will likely be lost in coming years.

Lamb Down Badge, England

51° 9'12.61"N 2° 1'29.11"W

Cut into the hillside in 1916-1917 by Australian troops stationed at the local Codford and Sutton Veny military camps. The badge is based on a the cap badge of the Australian Army. The initial work on the badge was started by the 13th Training Battalion, Australian Imperial Forces (AIF). The badge was then embedded with green, brown and clear beer bottles to make it shine.

The Incredible White Lion of Whipsnade

51°50'54.40"N 0°33'16.42"W

The White Lion of Whipsnade is a 20th century creation of the Whipsnade Zoo, located a mile south of Whipsnade, Bedfordshire, England. It was built in 1933 from a design by R.B. Brooke-Greaves.

White Stag, Mormond Hill, Scotland

57°36'7.32"N 2° 1'28.99"W

The White Stag of Mormond Hill, Scotland, was constructed in 1870 as a wedding present. It is
240' long and constructed from quartz rocks approximatelty 5" in diameter. At one time, it was an outline figure only, but at some point, got filled in as a solid figure.

Giant walking man seen in downtown Munich!

48° 9'22.82"N 11°35'4.08"E

This giant sculture - "Walking Man" by Jonothan Borofsky, can be found in Munich, in front of one of Germany's largest insurance companies, Munich RE. It was built in 1995 in Sun Valley, California, then transported in sections and assembled in Munich over the course of five weeks.

Giant White Seals, Den Haag, Netherlands

52° 4'47.96"N 4°18'55.71"E and 52° 3'8.44"N 4°16'31.08"E

I know these aren't geoglyphs, and were likely a very temporary phenomenon, but who could pass up the chance to get shots of giant white seals in the city of The Hague? It's possible that they are are even the same (inflatable?) seal in two different locations, photographed by the satellite at two different times or days. Whatever the explanation, I think they're pretty cool.

How to walk around the entire world in just 15 minutes!

56°35'25.24"N 9°38'28.15"E

The World Map was created 1944 to 1969 by a Danish-American, Soeren Poulsen. It measures 150 feet by 300 feet, and is adjacent to the larger Klejtrup Lake to its north.  Presumably, a walk around the world would only take fifteen minutes!

The Peachoid, which sometimes looks a lot like something else...

35° 5'43.19"N 81°41'7.79"W

the "Peachoid" is a unique water tower in Gaffney, SC, just off Interstate 85, between exits 90 and 92. It was built in 1981 by the Chicago Bridge and iron Company. OK, so it's not a geoglyph... but it sure is interesting to look at!

The Mystery Pyramids of Tenerife

28°19'19.57"N 16°24'49.22"W

On the island of Tenerife, in the Canary Islands (Spain), lie several strange pyramids which are unexplained by any credible theories. While the island inhabitants have many legends of such structures going back to prehistory, a recent study showed that the existing pyramids at Guimar seem to have built on top of a layer of soil dating to the 1800's. Read more here.

Temple in the Sands - Chankillo, Peru

9°33'25.18"S 78°14'5.86"W

This fortified temple site in the Casma-Sechin Oasis of Peru dates from about 400 BC. On a nearby ridgeline sits a complex of 13 standing stones which have been identified as a complex solar observatory by archaeologists. Learn more about Chankillo.

This Mysterious Two-headed Eagle Pond is also a cemetery!

52°46'3.82"N 1°35'31.56"E

This pond was created in 1953 as a swimming pool and symbolic site by an English ecologist named Marietta Pallis(1882-1963) who rented and then owned the marshland property of Long Gores, Hickling. The pond is situated on the Norfolk Broads, and is a double-headed Byzantine eagle with crown with the two-barred cross of Constantine on one side and the three-barred papal cross on the other, and the Greek letters MP below. The ecologist and her friends used to bathe in the waters and she is buried with a close female companion on the central island. The gravestone can just barely be made out in this photo.

Walk This Way! Strange Arrow near Playa Quemada, Spain

28°53'59.70"N 13°44'48.90"W

This design in the earth measures 325 feet from end to end. It was created some time between 2000 (when the design was not there) and 2006 (when it first appears in Google Earth). That is all we know thus far.

What exactly are these mystery markings in the Algerian Desert?

31° 1'9.84"N 7°58'32.44"E

Approximately 183 miles SW of the Algerian town of Touggourt, deep in the sandy desert, lies this unusual geoglyph. It's hard to say whether it is just a glyph in the sands, or an object buried beneath them. It certainly looks man-made. There are oil drilling operations this part of the desert, so it's possible it is related to that industry in some way. Does anyone have any information on this?

Mystery Circles at Lake Baikal, Siberia,

51°40'10.01"N 103°51'22.94"E (These are not Google Earth photos)

In April of 2009, astronauts on the International Space Station shot these photos of Lake Baikal, in Russian Siberia. The photos showed two extremely odd molten circles in the ice of the lake. Lake Baikal is the largest and deepest freshwater lake in the world, containing more fresh water that all of the Great Lakes combined. In fact, it contains 20% of all the fresh water on earth! Five miles below the surface is the deepest continental rift on earth, which is still seismically active. There are also hot springs in the area, the thermal welling from which may be causing the mysterious circles in the ice. Another possible explanation could be rooted in the gas hydrates found in the lake-bottom sediments, since Lake Baikal is the only fresh water lake where evidence of gas hydrates exist.

The Mysterious Big Horn Medicine Wheel

44°49'34.81"N 107°55'14.40"W

A pre-Columbian Native American sacred ceremonial site, built between 220 and 1000 years ago. It is located at an altitude of nearly 10,000 feet (3,000 m), near the summit of Medicine Mountain, Wyoming. The structure consists of a circular rim, 25 yards (23 m) in diameter, 28 spokes extending from the rim to the center, and a series of seven cairns.
Learn more about Big Horn Medicine Wheel.

Giant Starfish, Vieques, Puerto Rico

18° 8'18.49"N 65°18'8.82"W

On the eastern tip of the island of Vieques, which lies about 8 miles east of the mainland of Puerto Rico, there appears to be a giant starfish formation of some sort. Actually, there are two, with the second one a short distance to the east of the one pictured here. It seems pretty mysterious, until one considers the fact that Vieques was a 900 acre U.S. Navy target range from 1941 until 2003. If you look closely, you can see that the terrain is pock-marked with small bomb craters, and there are even two junk aircraft in the upper left corner of the photo, to simulate an enemy airfield. The "giant starfish" is most likely a naval bomb target.

Topoc Maze, near Needles, California

34°42'57.48"N 114°29'51.93"W

Likely created by the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe, it can be accessed via dirt road off Park Moabi Road near Needles. There is a plaque at the site: "Here, upon this land where you now stand, is the Topock Maze; indeed, a cultural site of much importance to the tribe. To this site the AhaMakav warriors returning home from battle first paused for purification before continuing home.""Not a true maze, this site is a series of windrows carefully placed in an extensive geometric pattern. Today, the site covers about 10 acres. Evidence suggests that it may have originally been only one section in a group of nearby earth images and features. Sadly, important parts of the complex were destroyed by the construction of the highway.

Giant Sperm sighted in Louisiana!

31°31'10.61"N 92°49'19.50"W

Okay, I guess it's possible these aren't giant sperm... but if so, what the heck are they? I'd love to hear from anyone with first hand knowlege regarding these geoglyphs.

Giant Fingerprint Maze, Brighton & Hove, UK

50°50'38.61"N 0°10'16.90"W

A work by Chris Drury, which was originally simply mowed into the turf of nearby Stanmer Park in 2006, but later built permanently out of stone and mortar at Hove Park, Brighton and Hove, UK. Drury is a "land artist" who has recently been working on projects in Antartica.

"An Amazing Maze in Maize," - Bickliegh, UK

50°51'16.31"N 3°30'45.96"W

The Corn Maze just outside of Bickleigh, UK was created in 2006 to commemorate the 200th birthday of Isambard Kingdom Brunel (9 April 1806 – 15 September 1859), a famous British engineer. He is best known for the Great Western Railway, a series of famous steamships, including the first with a propeller, and numerous important bridges and tunnels.

The mysterious man-shaped lake near Iacanga, Brazil

21°48'19.84"S 49° 5'15.93"W

7 Miles NNW of Iacanga, Sao Paulo, Brazil, you can see this human-shaped lake, which no doubt been sculpted and landscaped into what appears to be a recreation area of some sort. Some sources speculate that this may be a private fishing lake where people pay to fish. Anyone know anything more about this place?

Why are there giant swastikas in Roswell, NM?

33°55'53.42"N 104°42'28.79"W

Think Roswell, New Mexico, and you probably think about UFOs, not giant swastikas. Actually, they are reverse swastikas, and they were used by the pilots at Roswell Army Air Force Base for target practice during WWII. Apparently, there are at least 17 of them spread out all over a wide area of New Mexico. Some people attribute the symbols to aliens, occultists, and even ancient Native Americans, despite the fact that they are well-documented by the air force and the USGS. The Army also utilized targets shaped like circles, triangles, ships, docks, and oil tanks.
Here's a web site with pics of most of the targets, though without accurate locations.

Ancient giant carvings show how llama herders stayed skinny!

19°32'56.64"S 69°58'4.67"W

Near Tiviliche, Chile, you can find this geoglyph of a couple of llama herders and their herd. The fat llama herder on the left is waving his arms, while the skinny one on the right is running with the herd. The glyph is likely a product of the Atacameños, and is over 500 feet long from end to end.

Giant Geoglyphs of the Atacama Desert

19°12'12.97"S 70° 0'28.90"W

An interesting site in the Atacama desert of Chile, possibly constructed by the Atacameños, a native american people who inhabited the andean portion of the Atacama desert between 2000 BC and 100 AD. Anyone have any more info about this particular site?

The Blythe Intaglios - A Man and His Mountain Lion

33°48'1.44"N 114°31'53.52"W

About 15 miles north of Blythe, California, near the Colorado River, there are geoglyphs that were discovered by a pilot flying over the area. The largest human figure is 171 feet long. The figures have been fenced off to prevent vehicle and foot damage to the sites. The site is believed to be 450 to 2,000 years old. According to the Mojave and Quechan Indians, the human figures represent Mastamho, the creator of all life. The animal figures represent Hatakulya, a mountain lion who helped in the creation of the world. Read more here.

This fish is bigger than a house,and it's in Livingston, MT

45°40'14.49"N 110°33'47.55"W

On the hills overlooking Livingston, Montana, there is a huge trout, which probably has something to do the fact that Livingston is home to the "Fly Fishing Discovery Center and Museum." The big "P" off to the east is for Park County High School.

The Incredible Two-headed Dragon of Atacama

22°52'22.41"S 68°18'27.18"W

This two-headed dragon was built by Andrew Rogers as part of his Rhythms of Life earth art series. The geoglyph is about 80 m long by 2.8 m high, and is located at an altitude of 2469 m (8100 ft) above sea level, on the Llano de la Paciencia (Plain of Patience), 13 km west of the town of San Pedro de Atacama.

The giant scultptures of Eastern Park, Geelong Australia

38° 8'42.17"S 144°23'3.59"E

An earth art sculpture called "Rhythms of Life" by Andrew Rogers, constructed from large stones individually placed. It was commissioned in association with the Commonwealth Games 2006.

This may be the world's only spiral jetty.

41°26'15.85"N 112°40'2.39"W

Constructed on the shores of the great Salt Lake in 1970 by sculptor Robert Smithson, the Spiral Jetty is 1500 feet long. It was constructed on dry land during a drought, and remained surrounded by water for the next 30 years. More on the Spiral Jetty.

This political ad paid for by someone with waaaaaay too much time on their hands.

12° 0'30.87"S 77° 2'47.63"W

Huge lettering (over 300 feet across) near Pisaq, Peru, promoting a candidate in 2006 for Peruvian Congress, possibly Wilder Félix Calderón Castro, a member of the APRA Party (the logo for which can be made out in the star figure). The hills around this town arefull of ads, messages, graffiti and other humungous lettering. Apparently the ancient Peruvians (i.e Nazca) weren't the only ones who like this medium.

Rock Eagle Effigy Mound - Georgia

33°25'2.66"N 83°23'14.60"W

An archaeological site in Putnam County Georgia, USA constructed 1,000 to 3,000 years ago. It's built of thousands of pieces of quartzite laid in the mounded shape of a large bird. Although it is most often referred to as an eagle, scholars don't really know exactly what kind of bird it is supposed to be.
Read more about it at Wikipedia

Serpent Mound, Peebles, Ohio

39° 1'33.00"N 83°25'46.66"W

The Serpent Mound is 1,370 feet long. The most likely builders are the Adena Culture (800 BCE - 100 CE), the Hopewell culture (200 BCE - 500 CE), and the Fort Ancient Culture (1000 CE -1650 CE). Radio carbon dating of materials discovered in 1996 (see below) has indicated that the mound was built circa 1050 CE. This suggests that it was built by the Fort Ancient culture. The mound was built close in time to the appearance in the sky of a supernova which left behind the Crab Nebula (1054 CE), and may have been built in recognition of the strange light in the sky. More on Serpent Mound.

The Newburgh Bear

56°20'58.36"N 3°12'51.35"W

Located near Newburgh, England, it was created as a community project in 1980. The outline was plowed by a worker from Parkhill Farm, and permission for the outline was given by Mr Tom Howieson of Parkhill Farm. The bear is believed to be a depiction of a stone called the bear stone, from which the local Bear Tavern takes its name. More about the Newburgh Bear.

The Fovant Badges - Fovant, UK

51° 3'12.17"N 1°58'47.20"W

These hillside geoglyphs were created by soldiers garrisoned near Fovant, Wiltshire, England, during World War One. Read more about it at the Fovent Badge Society web site.

There's a creepy giant eye in the middle of Arizona.

35°25'38.22"N 111°15'19.95"W

Artist James Turrell decided in 1975 to take Roden Crater, a cindercone in Arizona and transform it into a gargantuan work of art. Still under construction, the finished project will resemble a huge eye, and will feature underground tunnels and chambers which are designed to make visiting the site a unique experience.

NYT Article on the Roden Crater Project
More on the Roden Crater Project

This giant propeller was carved into a hillside and dedidated by Queen Elizabeth!

51° 5'52.57"N 1°12'26.83"E

The Battle of Britain Memorial, located near Capel-Le-Ferne, dedicated by Queen Elizabeth on July 9, 1993 to those who fought in the Battle of Britain between July 10 and October 31, 1940. The Memorial is an immense three bladed propeller, each 38 metres long, cut into the hillside. The stone figure of a lone pilot (carved by Harry Gray) is seated on a sandstone base on which the badges of the squadrons which participated in the Battle, are carved.

The Battle of Britain Memorial Hope Page

"Earthsign" appears near Munich Airport

48°21'7.18"N 11°44'5.82"E

Just northwest of Munich Airport lies an mega-sized artwork by Wilheli Holderied's and Karl Schlamminger called "Earth: An Island in Time." It is formed out of gravel. The size of the geoglyph is 270 x 170 meters, the furrows are 3.40 meters deep.

A German web site about the "Earthsign" translated into English