Phantom island
Phantom islands are islands that were believed to exist, and appeared on maps for a period of time (sometimes centuries) during recorded history, but were later removed after they proved nonexistent. (In contrast, lost lands are islands or continents believed by some to have existed during pre-history, often associated with ancient myths and legends.)
Phantom islands usually stem from the reports of early sailors exploring new realms. Some arose through the mislocation of actual islands, or other errors in geography. For instance, Pepys Island was actually a misidentification of the Falkland Islands. The Baja California peninsula appears on some early maps as an island but was later discovered to be attached to the mainland of North America. Thule was perhaps actually discovered in the 4th century BCE but was lost, and then later reidentified by ancient explorers and geographers as Shetland, Iceland, Scandinavia, or even as nonexistent.
Other phantom islands are probably due to the misidentification of icebergs, fog banks, or to optical illusions.
While many phantom islands appear never to have existed, a few (such as, perhaps, Thompson Island) may have been actual islands subsequently destroyed by volcanic explosions, earthquakes or submarine landslides, or low-lying lands such as sand banks that are no longer above water.
List of phantom islands
- Antillia (The Island of the Seven Cities)
- Aurora Islands
- Bacalao
- Baltia
- Banks Island (actually Banks Peninsula)
- Bra
- Brazil (Hy-Brazil/Hi-Breasail)
- St Brendan's Island
- Buss Island
- Buyan
- Island of California
- Caravanserralius Island
- Crockerland
- Isle of Demons
- Dougherty
- Drogeo
- Emerald Island
- Ernest Legouvé Reef
- Estotiland
- Ferdinandea Island
- Flyaway Islands
- Frisland
- Great Ireland (Irland it mikla), also known as White men's land (Hvitra mannaland).
- Groclant
- Hunter Island
- Icaria
- Jupiter Reef
- Isle of Mam
- Maria Laxara
- Maria Theresa Reef
- New St. Helena
- St Matthew Island, about 1000km northeast of Ascension Island
- Mayda
- Morrell Island and Byers Island, west of Hawaii
- Nimrod Islands
- Ogygia
- Pepys Island
- Prester John
- Île Philippaux
- Podesta
- Punic Brazil cape
- Rangitiki
- Roca Island
- Rocabarraigh
- Rupes Nigra
- Sannikov Land, north of the New Siberian Islands
- Satanzes
- Saxemberg
- Schjetman Reef
- Roca Island
- Snakes Islands
- Taprobana
- Terra Australis
- Thompson Island
- Thule
- Torca Island
- Tyno Helig
- Vinland
- Wachusett Reef
References
Bibliography
- Stommel, Henry Lost Islands: The Story of Islands That Have Vanished from Nautical Charts, University of British Columbia Press, 1984. ISBN 0-7748-0210-3
- Gaddis, Vincent. Invisible Horizons, Chilton Books. New York. 1965.
- Clark Barnaby Firestone, The Coasts of Illusion: A Study of Travel Tales, Harper Books, 1924.
- William Shepard Walsh, A Handy Book of Curious Information, J. B. Lippincott, 1913.