phantom island
Sign in to saveisland that was believed to exist but later proven to be nonexistent
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- Old maps of phantom islands
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Fragment of George Powell's 1822 chart of the South Shetland Islands showing the phantom Middle Island (bottom right) in Bransfield Strait, Antarctica The Zeno map of 1558 showing Frisland – a phantom island in the North Atlantic The phantom island of Kianida or Cianeis in the Black Sea on a fragment of the 1467 Nicolaus Germanus edition of Ptolemy's Geography
A phantom island is a purported island which has appeared on maps but was later found not to exist. They usually originate from the reports of early sailors exploring new regions, and are commonly the result of navigational errors, mistaken observations, unverified misinformation, or deliberate fabrication. Some have remained on maps for centuries before being "un-discovered".
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