Where is Area 51?

The base was set up in 1955 by the CIA and US Air Force as a remote site to test the U-2 spy plane. Its isolated location on a dry lakebed, surrounded by restricted military land, kept secret aircraft away from prying eyes. Later programmes tested the A-12 Oxcart, the forerunner of the SR-71 Blackbird, and stealth aircraft such as the F-117 Nighthawk. Sightings of these unusual, high-flying aircraft fuelled decades of UFO rumours. The US government officially acknowledged the existence of Area 51 only in 2013, when declassified CIA documents were released.