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Phantom Islands

Phantom islands were once believed to exist, though have since been proven nonexistent. Often, these phantom islands were included on maps and woven into myth and legend. In fact, we now know they don't exist.

When early explorers charted new territories, they occasionally made errors. Geographical errors crept in, leading them to misidentify the Baja California peninsula as an island. Other errors crept in to the optical illusions, fog banks, and even icebergs.

Today, it is accepted that most of these phantom islands never existed. However, that is not always the case. Thompson Island, originally spotted in the South Atlantic Ocean, was last seen in 1893. By 1898, it had disappeared. Thompson Island probably disappeared due to a volcanic eruption in the 1890s.

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