Tag: Phantom Island

A Phantom Island is a term used to describe a landmass that has been reported or believed to exist on maps but has never been conclusively proven to be real. These islands often arise from navigational errors, miscalculations, or myths and legends. As explorers and cartographers created maps over the ages, some islands were included based on reports from sailors or travelers that later turned out to be false or exaggerated. Examples include islands like São Brandão or Frisland, which appeared on maps but were later shown to be non-existent. The phenomenon reflects the challenges of exploration and the limitations of human knowledge in geography, particularly before the advent of modern navigation and satellite imagery.