10 Most Forbidden Places On Earth.
Number 10, White House Situation Room, USA. The only time we'll see any action happening
in the White House Situation room is in political or military-themed TV
shows and movies. Otherwise, it's closed off to the world. Located 50 feet
below the West Wing, the only ones who are allowed into the secluded room
are the President and a group of carefully handpicked advisors. Based on
what we see in films, it's in the Situation Room where life-or-death decisions
are made regarding the country's involvement in critical military
efforts, hence, the place being off-limits.
Number 9, Area 51, USA. This list wouldn't be complete without mentioning
the notorious Area 51 outside Las Vegas in Nevada. This military
base has been serving whatever mysterious purposes it has for the US government
since the 1950s and to this day, no one is completely sure what exactly
it's used for. And this has caused rumors to swirl incessantly. Some
say it's used to develop and test nuclear weapons. Others claim it houses
UFOs that crash landed to earth decades ago. But whether we'll really
get to the bottom of it or not, we'll never really know.
Number 8, Svalbard Global Seed Vault, Norway. Ever wondered what would happen if the world
runs out of natural resources and a famine ensues? Well, Svalbard Global Seed
Vault in Norway is apparently the solution. The vault allegedly contains
thousands upon thousands of seeds of every single type of plant all over
the world. These seeds can be used to regrow the plants and provide almost
the entire human population with decent food.
Number 7, Ise Grand Shrine, Japan. Though Japan is thoroughly modern, it still
has a firm grasp of its cultural and religious roots. One testament
to this hold is the existence of Ise Grand Shrine. The country's
most sacred shrine, no one can enter the complex, save for the priests and
priestesses of the imperial family. And the reason the grounds are so
revered is because the shrine is supposedly home to the Yata no Kagami, or
sacred mirror, one of the most important objects in the country.
Number 6, Metro-2, Russia. A place that may or may not actually exist
is all the more intriguing. One such example is Metro-2 in Moscow, a rumored
subway system in the city's underground. The line of railways was supposedly
built by dictator Joseph Stalin for top government officials
and Russian secret service agents. And to add fuel to the fire, there's
also an alleged underground city near the Metro-2 and it can fit 30,000
people in the event of a war.
Number 5, Mount Weather, USA. In answer to the Sputnik satellite launched
by the Soviet Union in the 1950s, the US built the Mount Weather Operations
Center in Virginia, a few miles away from the nation's capital. To put
it bluntly, the center is a "doomsday" shelter, complete with its own
radio and TV studio in the event that the president would need to make a broadcast
after an attack. It's said that regular authorities are not permitted
into the premises, rather Mount Weather has its own police and fire
stations.
Number 4, Coca-Cola's Recipe Vault, USA. It's but natural that the biggest soda manufacturer
in the world would keep its recipe safely under lock and key.
And this is why Coca-Cola has its very own recipe vault in Georgia. The
recipe has long been fiercely guarded, leaving many to speculate about what
magic it has to elicit such loyalty from customers. The vault is never
opened and the recipe is not visible to those who tour the exhibit, where
the famous vault is located.
Number 3, North Sentinel Island, India. Believe it or not, there are still tribes
of people out there who are almost completely cut off from the outside
world, preferring to live and breed among themselves and are totally averse
to change. Such is the case for the Sentinelese, who hail from the North
Sentinel Island along the Bay of Bengal. The island has no natural harbors
and is surrounded by jagged coral reefs, effectively keeping visitors
out. The few attempts at contacting the tribe came at a cost, including
a National Geographic film director getting shot in the leg with an arrow
by a tribesman.
Number 2, Vatican Secret Archives, Italy. The Vatican Secret
Archives is quite antiquated, with metal lifts to bring you to the
different floors that contain the papal documents. The secretary to the
archive prefecture admitted that there is a section that is completely off-limits,
as it contains details on the personal affairs of the cardinals and documents
on annulled marriages.
Number 1, Room 39, North Korea. North Korea arguably tops the list of most
restricted places. And you won't get any more restricted than Room 39, said
to be located in the ruling Workers' Party building in the North Korean
capital of Pyongyang. The infamous room is said to be the site of numerous
criminal activities, such as illegal drug manufacturing, counterfeiting
of US dollar bills, and financial fraud. An article in The Guardian
states that North Korea denies any existence of such a room.