10 of the most secure places on earth

1. The White House

Not only is the White House the home of the president, it’s also one of the most protected buildings in the universe. The fence is guarded by Secret Service, and if a criminal somehow gets past them – and the dogs – there is a squad of bad-tempered snipers on the roof. Bullet proof windows, panic bunkers, and other Jason Bourne type security measures round out the regime.

2. Fort Knox

Fort Knox houses the bullion reserve of the United States and stores thousands of tons of gold. The Declaration of Independence and Magna Carta are also rumoured to be kept behind its solid granite walls and 22-ton blast door held shut by a lock so complex that it requires a 10-person team to unlock.

3. Federal Reserve Bank in New York

Federal Reserve Bank in New York holds more gold than Fort Knox, and even foreign governments trust it to store their gold. Security is so tight that not even people are allowed to know exactly what goes on down there. The pallets of money are moved around by robots, and the perimeter is guarded by men expert marksmen.

4. Tumen River

At the confluence of this river is Russia, North Korea and China. North Korea guards are all over this area in case of defectors.

5. Bank of England gold vault

If you have a secret, it would be secure here in the UK’s largest gold vault. More than 4,600 tons of gold are located here, second only to the Federal Reserve Vault. The walls are bombproof and the security system employs involves voice recognition, 3 foot keys and other security measures that aren’t even published.

6. Iron Mountain

This bunker 200 feet beneath Iron Mountain house 1.7 square feet of vaults which contain the charred remains of Flight 93, Edison’s patent for the light bulb, and Princess Diana’s Last Will and Testament. The US government is the biggest tenant, and the identities of 95% of vault owners are confidential. Sony Music, the Smithsonian Institution, and Corbis all have vaults there. Thousands of historic master recordings, photo negatives, and original film reels live here. Iron Mountain is also home to Room 48, a data center backing up some of America’s biggest companies.

7. ADX Florence Prison

Thesupermax prison in Colorado houses the worst of the worst American criminals, including the Shoe Bomber Richard Reid, Zacarias Moussaoui, and Ramzi Yousef. Security measures at the prison include attack dogs guarding the area between the prison walls and 12 feet high razor wire fences, 1,400 remotely controlled steel doors, motion detecting laser beams, pressure pads and cameras.

8. Air Force One

The President of the United States travels in a modified Boeing 747-200B series aircraft. It has the world’s most advanced flight avoidance, air-to-air defense, and electronics technology packages available anywhere in the world.

9. Bahnhof Underground Data Center

The most secure data center in the world, the Bahnhof Underground Data Center was the home of a Swedish internet service provider who wanted to find a secure place to store data. The settled on a former nuclear bomb shelter 100 feet beneath a mountain in Stockholm. It has its own waterfalls, simulated daylight and can withstand the blast of a hydrogen bomb. It’s so secure that Wikileaks used servers in the bunker.

10. Cheyenne Mountain

A relic of the Cold War, the complex is a self-sufficient town is buried 2,000 feet beneath the Rocky Mountains and is completely impervious to a 30-megaton nuclear blast as well as electromagnetic weapons.