Phantom island
Phantom islands or sham Islands (or Flyaway Islands as an English term for phantom islands in the Atlantic ) are islands that are listed on historic maps or described in historical documents, but in fact never existed. They are neither safe according to current knowledge on an existing island derivable still volcanic, tectonic, climatic or decreased by erosion under the sea level. Most phantom islands were temporarily registered on nautical charts. Even today there are still unsecured islands, particularly in the South Pacific. At present, the existence of both registered in many contemporary atlases reefs Ernest- Legouvé and Maria Theresa, for example, controversial. In 1906, the explorer Robert Peary even believed that he had found a suspected for some time in the Arctic Ocean eighth continent called Crocker country.
Reliable effects of phantom islands
Although phantom islands are non-existent islands, it is with them not (only) to amusing fringes of cartography. Many had real effects: expeditions set out to look for them, and people have been richly rewarded (about João Vaz Corte-Real for his discovery of the phantom island Bacalao ). Commercial companies paid money for the right to trade with them (such as the Hudson 's Bay Company for the right to trade with the island Buss ), and navigators ventured in reliance on the opportunity to go with them at anchor, on the Atlantic Ocean. Supposedly hoped Christopher Columbus in his first voyage that led to the discovery of America, to an intermediate station on the phantom island Antilia.
Causes for the emergence of phantom islands
The oldest phantom islands have their roots in ancient or Christian legends. Antilia, the St. Brendan Islands or Hy Brasil were entered on charts, as cartographers and navigators believed that saints and bishops ideal kingdoms had built in the Atlantic. Indeed, has such a country does not find, it was assumed that it befände further west. Therefore, these phantoms also appear on early modern maps.
Several islands have also been discovered over the centuries several times. For example, knowledge about certain was already known in ancient islands in the course of the Middle Ages lost (such as the Canary Islands or the Azores ). Occasionally these were probably also responsible for the origin of legends of the type described above Met navigators now on the real island, this corresponded not the legendary performances and the island with the "right" attributes had to therefore located further west. Include first part had left no mark on the island in question and their geographical location was reproduced inaccurate or the "second discoverer " was in error as to its own geographical location.
Magnetic compass deviations, the lasting until the late 18th century inability to reliably determine the longitude (→ length problem), and invisible ocean currents that drive a ship much more quickly or imperceptibly could drift off, ensured accurate descriptions nichtexistierender Islands. Nearly three centuries the island Buss was entered on all maps of the North Atlantic. Probably strong currents had the same so far dissuaded several visitors to the "Island Buss " from their adopted course to the north, that they held the southern tip of Greenland (whose geographical position for a long time was set too far north ) for an island southwest of Greenland.
In addition to legends, double discoveries and nautical errors were also yarn, deliberate deception by vainglorious captains and optical illusions causes of phantom islands. In no case, however, these phenomena strictly limited to a pre-scientific, unaufgeklärtes age. One of the last great phantom islands that appeared in the Atlantic, 1884 was that of the German Johann Otto Polter "discovered " and later re- searched in vain Island " Kantia ", named after the greatest representatives of the German Enlightenment, Immanuel Kant
List of Phantom Islands
Real Phantom Islands
Real Phantom islands are islands that were assumed to be real, but not (any longer ) exist.
- Albert Edward Island
- Alligator Island
- Anna- reef
- Antilia / Antillia
- Aurora Islands
- Bacalao
- Barbary Island
- Bermeja
- Bradley Country
- Brasil island / Hy Brasil
- Burdwood Island
- Buss
- Byers
- Camira Island
- Caravanserralius Iceland
- Chimney Islands
- Colunas
- Congress- island
- Crespo
- Crocker country
- Demon island
- Davis country
- Dougherty Iceland
- Drogeo
- Dudoza
- Duncan
- Elisabethiden
- Emerald
- Ernest- Legouvé Reef
- Estotiland
- Exchequer
- Frisland
- Gallego
- Ganges Iceland
- Grande, Isla
- Groclant
- Harmsworth Island
- Haymet Rocks
- Ityers
- João da Gama Land
- Jupiter Reef
- Kantia
- Keenan - country
- Krusenstern Reef
- Lomea
- Los Jardines
- Mam ( Isle of)
- Jewel Islands
- Macey 's Iceland
- Macsinof Island
- Maria Laxara
- Maria- Theresa Reef
- Mayda / Asmayda
- Middle Iceland
- Neome
- New South Greenland / Morrell 's Land
- New St. Helena
- Nimrod Group
- Onascusa
- Otra
- Pagoda Rocks
- Pepys Iceland
- Petermann country
- Phélipeaux / Philippaux
- Podesta
- Pontchartrain
- Punic Brazil landscape
- Rangitiki
- Restinga de Sefton
- Rica de Oro
- Roca de Plata
- Roca Iceland
- Royal Company Islands
- Rupes Nigra
- Sandy Iceland
- St. Brendan Islands
- Sannikov Land
- Sarah Ann
- Satanzes
- Saxemberg
- Schjetman Reef
- Sebastian Lopez Islands
- Snakes Islands
- St. Matthew Iceland
- Strathfillan rock
- Swain 's Iceland
- Terra Nova Islands
- Thompsoninsel
- Torca Iceland
- Truls Island
- Undine Rock
- Wachusett Reef
- Wairuna
- Waq Waq - Islands
- Willoughby 's Land
- Ymana
Peninsulas that were viewed as islands
- Armitage Island
- California
- Isla Grande ( South Atlantic )
- Korea
- Scandinavian peninsula
Mythical Islands
Mythical islands are part of myths and legends. Often, their existence has more to do figuratively as geographically.
- Atlantis
- Avalon
- Baltia
- Bra
- Buyan
- Cockaigne
- Hawaiki
- Icaria
- Kumarikkandam
- Lomea / infera Iceland / Goodwin Sands
- Lowland Hundred / Cantre'r Gwaelod
- Lyonesse
- Ogygia
- Rocabarraigh
- Thule
- Thuvaraiyam Pathi
- Tyno Helig
- Wülpensand
Fictional islands
Fictional islands are those whose existence was faked aware of its inventor, for example, of commercial interest.
- Byers Island
- Markanysos
Hypothetical Islands
Hypothetical islands emerged from the idealization of historical maps images. Too large land masses without lakes in the interior seemed to the 19th century as little as possible to vast oceans without islands. Also could you look at the " overweight " on land not to imagine the northern hemisphere. So they looked for islands and land masses, who found their way into the maps, although they were never seen.
- Mu
- Terra Australis