5 Little-Known Places Made Famous by Flight 370

The search has included some mysterious and exotic locales.

ByABC News
March 19, 2014, 8:42 AM
Strait of Malacca
Strait of Malacca
Getty Images

Mar. 19, 2014— -- intro: The search for missing Malaysia Air flight 370 now involves 26 countries and millions of nautical square miles.

Here’s a look at the some places you may not be quite familiar with brought to light by the extensive search.

quicklist: 1Title: Diego Garciatext: Located in the middle of the Indian Ocean, Diego Garcia is a British territory with a landing strip. The island is home to a US Navy base and houses 1,700 military personnel along with 1,500 civilian contractors.

The island has also been reported to have been used as a place to transport and detain alleged terrorists.

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quicklist: 2Title: Alice Springs Text: To aid in the search for the missing jetliner, Malaysia’s Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein has reportedly asked for the United States to share satellite information from a "secret" satellite installation near Alice Springs in the heartland of Australia.

The installation is run by both the CIA and the U.S. National Security Agency.

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quicklist: 3Title: The MaldivesText: An island comprised of 26 atolls, the Maldives are located about 250 miles southwest of India. Residents of the Dhaalu Atoll reportedly saw a plane resembling the missing plane in the early hours of March 8. The Maldives' defense minister has denied those claims.

The Maldives are better-known as a vacation destination for honeymooners and families looking for some sun and relaxation.

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quicklist: 4Title: Kuala LumpurText: The capital of Malaysia is home to a population of nearly 1.6 million.

Flight 370 lost contact with air traffic controllers less than an hour after departing the the city at 12:41 a.m. destined for Beijing, China.

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quicklist: 5Title: Butterworth Text: In the early morning hours of March 8, radar operators at Malaysia’s Butterworth air base failed to report a blip on their radar moving directly toward them from the east.

Military radar in Thailand also detected a radar blip moving toward Butterworth that same day, but Thai officials took ten days to report it.

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