Phantom island facts for kids
A phantom island is an island that people once believed existed. These islands were even shown on old maps. But later, people found out they weren't real, or they couldn't be found again. So, they were removed from maps.
Sometimes, an island was described, but its name changed later. Or, the description might have matched a real island that already existed. Other times, islands might have sunk below the sea because of natural events like erosion. These islands still exist, but they are underwater. Two examples are Earnest Legouve Reef and Maria-Theresa Reef in the South Pacific. Since they are far from common ship routes, it's hard to check if they are still there. In 1908, explorer Robert Peary thought he found a lost land called Crocker Land, but it turned out to be a mirage.
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Why Islands Disappear from Maps
Sometimes, people were rewarded for finding islands that later turned out to be phantom islands. For example, João Vaz Corte-Real was honored for finding an island called Bacalao. This island appeared on maps in the early 1500s. Today, Baccalieu Island is probably named after this phantom island.
Islands That Were "Found" Again
Some phantom islands were later "found" to be real places, but they weren't islands at all! For instance, the Baja California area was first thought to be an island. Later, people discovered it was actually a peninsula (land connected to a continent on one side).
The ancient land of Thule was discovered a very long time ago. In more modern times, people who thought they found Thule might have been talking about places like Norway, the Orkney Islands, Shetland, or Scandinavia. Other ideas for Thule include Iceland, Greenland, or the island of Saaremaa in the Baltic Sea.
Mistakes and Illusions
Other phantom islands might exist because of mistakes in navigation. Or, they could be caused by optical illusions, like a superior mirage. A superior mirage makes distant objects appear higher than they are, or even upside down. One example of this is New South Greenland. It was seen in the Weddell Sea in 1823, but no one has seen it since.
Islands That Really Vanished
Some phantom islands might have truly existed at one point but were later destroyed. Or, they might have sunk below the water line. These include Thompson Island in the South Atlantic. Another is Bermeja, which was once thought to be off the coast of Yucatán.
Images for kids
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A part of George Powell's 1822 map of the South Shetland Islands. It shows the phantom Middle Island (bottom right) in Bransfield Strait, Antarctica.
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The Zeno map from 1558. It shows Frisland, a phantom island in the North Atlantic.
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The phantom island of Kianida or Cianeis in the Black Sea. This is from a part of the 1467 Nicolaus Germanus version of Ptolemy's Geography.
See also
In Spanish: Isla fantasma para niños
