Antarctic Circle

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Lore & Background

Notable phantom islands were discovered at various points, mostly during the 19th century. Dougherty Island was first spotted in 1841 by Captain Daniel Dougherty of the James Stewart, an Irish whaler, who reported discovering it at 59°20′S 120°20′W. He described it as 5–6 miles long with a high bluff to the northeast and covered in snow. Dougherty's discovery was confirmed by Captain Keates of the Louise in 1860, giving its coordinates as 59°20′S 120°18′W, and by Captain Stannard of the Cingalese in 1886, giving the location as 59°21′S 119°7′W. The island continued to appear on maps as late as 1934. Emerald Island was first sighted by the British sealing ship Emerald, captained by William Elliot, in December 1821, and the name of the supposed island is derived from the name of this ship. It was presumed to be a small (but high and mountainous) island located at 57°30′S 162°12′E. No trace of the island was found by the 1840 United States Exploring Expedition. Although a captain visiting Port Chalmers reported seeing it sometime before 1890, a search by the Nimrod in 1909 turned up nothing. Nevertheless, it appeared on a map as late as 1987 in a desk calendar book published by American Express.

Reader's Guide

Some phantom islands may have been purely mythical, such as the Isle of Demons near Newfoundland, which may have been based on local legends of a haunted island. The far-northern island of Thule was reported to exist by the 4th-century BC Greek explorer Pytheas, but information about its purported location was lost. The island of Hy-Brasil was sometimes depicted on maps west of Ireland, but all accounts of it have been fanciful. Some phantom islands arose through the faulty positioning of actual islands, or other geographical errors. Pepys Island was a misidentification of the Falkland Islands. The Baja California Peninsula and the Banks Peninsula in New Zealand each appear as islands on some early maps, but were later discovered to be attached to their mainlands. Isle Phelipeaux, an apparent duplication of Isle Royale in Lake Superior, appeared on explorers' maps for many years, and even served as a landmark for the border between the United States and the territory that would become Canada, before subsequent exploration by surveyors determined that it did not exist. Sandy Island appeared on maps of the Coral Sea beginning in the late 19th century. Purportedly, it existed between the Chesterfield Islands and Nereus Reef near New Caledonia; however, it was "undiscovered" in the 1970s. Nonetheless, it continued to be included in mapping data sets into the early 21st century, until its non-existence was re-confirmed in 2012. Other phantom islands are misidentifications of breakers, icebergs, fog banks, pumice rafts from underwater volcanoes, or optical illusions. Observed in the Weddell Sea in 1823 but never again seen, New South Greenland may have been the result of a superior mirage. Some such as Thompson Island or Bermeja may have been actual islands subsequently destroyed by volcanic explosions, earthquakes, submarine landslides, or low-lying lands such as sand banks that are no longer above water. Pactolus Bank, visited by Sir Francis Drake in 1578, may fit into this former sand bank category. In some cases, cartographers intentionally include invented geographic features in their maps, either for fraudulent purposes or to catch plagiarists.

Did You Know?

• Dougherty Island was first spotted in 1841 by Captain Daniel Dougherty of the James Stewart, an Irish whaler, and continued to appear on maps as late as 1934.
• Emerald Island was first sighted by the British sealing ship Emerald, captained by William Elliot, in December 1821, and appeared on a map as late as 1987 in a desk calendar book published by American Express.
• Isle Phelipeaux, an apparent duplication of Isle Royale in Lake Superior, served as a landmark for the border between the United States and the territory that would become Canada before it was determined not to exist.
• Sandy Island appeared on maps of the Coral Sea beginning in the late 19th century, was 'undiscovered' in the 1970s, and its non-existence was re-confirmed in 2012.
• New South Greenland, observed in the Weddell Sea in 1823 but never again seen, may have been the result of a superior mirage.