Phantom island

A supposed island shown on maps or described in accounts that is later found not to exist. Such islands often arose from navigational errors, mistaken reports, or deliberate fabrication.

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Phantom island of Buss: A North Atlantic island reported in the sixteenth century and later recognized as nonexistent. Its reported discovery and later disappearance exemplify how a sighting could persist on maps.
Dead reckoning: A method of estimating position by projecting a vessel's course and speed from a known starting point. Small errors in estimated position could make an island appear where none existed.
Hy-Brasil: A legendary island west of Ireland that appeared on European maps for centuries. Its longevity shows how folklore and cartography could reinforce one another.
Terra incognita: A Latin term for unknown or unmapped land, often used on early maps. Phantom islands filled gaps in geographic knowledge with imagined or mistaken land.
Mythical geography: Geographic knowledge shaped by legendary places and narratives rather than verifiable locations. Some phantom islands originated in legends, while others began as mistaken observations.
Sandy Island, New Caledonia: A charted island in the Coral Sea that an Australian survey ship failed to find in 2012. Its modern charting shows that phantom islands survived into the age of satellite mapping.
Cartographic error: An inaccuracy introduced when geographic information is collected, interpreted, or represented on a map. Phantom islands are a striking kind of error in geographic representation.
Thule: A distant northern land described by the ancient Greek explorer Pytheas, whose location remains disputed. Its uncertain identity illustrates the boundary between a phantom island and a real place mislocated.
Age of Discovery: The period of European overseas exploration and expansion beginning in the fifteenth century. Expanding voyages produced reports that reshaped maps, including reports of nonexistent islands.
Fata Morgana: A complex mirage caused by atmospheric refraction that can make distant objects appear distorted or elevated. This optical effect can create apparent land, but it is not the only source of phantom islands.