--- title: The Weird World of Ghost Islands... description: "Maps are supposed to show us the world as it is—solid, unchanging, real. They mark the mountains, the rivers, the oceans, and, of course, the islands. But what if some of those islands never existed?\n\nFor centuries, explorers and sailors have reported seeing land where, as far as we can tell today, there is none. Some of these islands were drawn onto maps, given names, and even claimed by entire nations. Some were said to be thriving with life, home to strange plants and unknown creatures. Others were feared, whispered about in dark taverns—cursed places that swallowed ships whole.\n\nBut as time passed and maps became more accurate, something strange happened. These islands—some of which had been marked on charts for hundreds of years—simply disappeared—erased as if they had never been there in the first place.\n\nSome were honest mistakes—shadows on the horizon mistaken for land or low-lying reefs that came and went with the tides. Others were outright fabrications, hoaxes created by ambitious explorers looking to make a name for themselves. But then there are the truly strange ones—the islands that were recorded by multiple ships, mapped by different nations, and seen over and over again, and yet, when modern explorers went looking for them, they found nothing but open ocean.\n\n## Mythical Islands\n\nThroughout history, the seas have whispered of places that never existed, lands conjured from fear, hope, or pure imagination. These mythical islands became legends, etched onto maps, steering sailors off course and haunting the minds of explorers. Their names became rallying cries for expeditions, obsessions for kings, and treasures for cartographers who dared to dream of worlds beyond the known.\n\nIn the chilly expanse of the South Atlantic, sailors swore they saw Isla San Borondón—a mystical isle with a nasty habit of vanishing into thin air. Descriptions varied wildly. Some spoke of towering cliffs and verdant forests, while others claimed to have seen bizarre creatures stalking its shores. It was said to drift between worlds, visible one moment, gone the next, like a mocking illusion conjured by the sea itself. And some claimed to have actually set foot on it. This island is named after Saint Brendan, who claimed to have landed on it in AD 512 with 14 monks, who then stayed for 15 days.\n\nLocals feared it, believing it was cursed or bewitched, forever slipping just beyond humanity's grasp. But still, the hopeful and the adventurous ventured out, praying for a glimpse of the impossible.\n\nAnd then there's Antillia, the Isle of Seven Cities. Its legend began with desperation. As the Moors swept across the Iberian Peninsula, seven Christian bishops, determined to preserve their faith and way of life, fled into the wild Atlantic. The story claimed they built a utopian paradise on a distant island, each bishop ruling over his own city of gold and splendour.\n\nMaps from the 15th century marked it confidently, far to the west off the coast of Portugal. Navigators searched relentlessly, lured by dreams of untouched riches and divine refuge. Yet, no ship ever touched its shores. Antillia became a ghost, more powerful as a myth than any kingdom built from stone and steel.\n\nOne of the most intriguing stories was about Buss Island, a shadowy smear of land that should never have existed but did—at least for a time. It was 1578 when the crew of the *Emmanuel*, a small whaling ship out of England, caught sight of it. Captain James Newton scribbled it down in his log, describing rich, fertile land where trees swayed under brisk Arctic winds. But no matter how many times they tried to land, the island seemed to drift away like a ghost.\n\nFor years afterward, Buss Island showed up on maps with a stubborn persistence. Explorers who claimed to have seen it spoke of lush shores and rolling hills—an oasis in the icy waters between Greenland and Canada. Dreams of untapped wealth and new hunting grounds fueled expeditions for decades.\n\nBut every journey ended in frustration. Captains raved about seeing land just on the horizon, only to vanish in the blink of an eye. Some said the sea swallowed it; others whispered of a cursed island that played tricks on sailors' minds.\n\nBy the 1800s, cartographers scratched their heads and gradually erased Buss Island from their maps. It became nothing more than a myth; a salty tale passed around taverns.\n\n## The Cartographer's Mistakes\n\nEarly explorers didn't have GPS, satellite imagery, or even reliable longitude measurements. They relied on compasses, the stars, and rough estimations of distance. If a sailor thought he saw land on the horizon, well, that was good enough for the mapmakers back home. A quick sketch, a name plucked from legend, and just like that—an island was born.\n\nSome of these phantom islands were simple errors—misidentified landmasses or mistakes that took centuries to correct. Others resulted from mirages, optical illusions, or even floating icebergs mistaken for solid ground. And sometimes, islands really were there for a time, only to be swallowed by the sea or eroded away.\n\nTake Sandy Island, reportedly first seen by Captain Cook in 1774, for example. For over 200 years, it appeared on maps of the South Pacific, marked as a small landmass near New Caledonia. It even made it onto Google Earth. But in 2012, a research team from Australia set sail to confirm its location and found absolutely nothing. No land, no reef—just a vast ocean where the island was supposed to be. When they returned, Sandy Island was erased from modern maps. There are theories that it may have been an incorrect amendment to the Cook Islands, which shares the same latitude, while others argue it could have been an unusual pumice raft from an underwater volcanic eruption that simply drifted away. Or was it always an illusion, an error copied so many times that it became accepted as fact?\n\nThen there's Bermeja, a supposed island in the Gulf of Mexico that mysteriously vanished. It was marked on maps as early as the 16th century, yet today, no trace of it exists. Some believe it was simply a cartographic mistake. Others, however, have a far wilder theory—that Bermeja was erased on purpose.\n\nLet me explain. The Gulf of Mexico is rich in oil and natural resources, and under international law, territorial claims depend on land boundaries. If Bermeja had existed, it might have given Mexico a legal claim to certain oil fields. Some conspiracy theorists believe the island was deliberately removed from maps to change political boundaries. It sounds insane—but to this day, no one has fully explained why so many maps for centuries showed an island that wasn't there.\n\nAnd then there's Isla San Juan, an island supposedly discovered off Chile's coast by Spanish explorers in the 16th century. It was documented on maps for 300 years before suddenly disappearing. Ships searching for it in the 19th century found nothing. Did it sink? Was it misidentified? Or, like Sandy Island, was it nothing more than an error that lasted far longer than it should have?\n\nThule was an ancient island recorded by Greek explorers in the 4th century BC. According to Pytheas, a famous Greek geographer, Thule was located far north of Britain, beyond the edge of the known world. He described it as a frozen, misty land where the sun never fully set in summer and never fully rose in winter—a place that sounds eerily similar to Iceland or Norway.\n\nBut later explorers never found the exact island he described. Some scholars believe Thule was actually Iceland, Greenland, or the Faroe Islands, which were misidentified due to Pytheas' rough calculations. Others argue that Thule might have been a real landmass that has since disappeared.\n\nThe truth is that early mapmakers didn't have the luxury of double-checking their work. If one mapmaker recorded an island, others copied it without question. And so, mistakes spread, turning illusions into landmarks and errors into accepted facts.\n\nSome of these phantom islands were corrected centuries later, wiped away as our understanding of geography improved. But others remain mysteries, leaving behind only the question: Did they ever exist at all?\n\n## The Hoaxes and Lies\n\nNot every phantom island was the result of a simple mistake. Some were deliberate fabrications—invented for fame, power, or pure deception. In the age of exploration, the unknown was a blank canvas, and for those willing to exploit it, an island that didn't exist could be just as valuable as one that did.\n\nExplorers have always been rewarded for discovery. The more land a nation claims, the more prestige, funding, and influence it gains. Sometimes, that means faking discoveries to gain favour with kings and governments.\n\nTake the Isle of Demons, for example. First reported in the 1500s, this supposed island off the coast of Newfoundland was said to be cursed, home to terrifying creatures and evil spirits that tormented sailors. Stories spread of ships that got too close and never returned. The island even appeared on maps for over a century, warning sailors to steer clear.\n\nBut did it ever exist? Not likely. Many historians believe it was a complete fabrication, possibly invented by cartographers to make maps more exciting—or by sailors looking to explain why some ships vanished in storms. Over time, reality and legend blurred, and the Isle of Demons became a fixture of maritime folklore.\n\nThen there's Aurora Island, supposedly located in the South Atlantic Ocean. In 1767, the Spanish ship *Aurora* claimed to have discovered a long, mountainous island in the open sea. Argentina later declared it part of their territory, even though few other sailors had ever seen it.\n\nOver the years, several ships went looking for Aurora Island, but no one could find it. After multiple failed expeditions by the early 20th century, the island was declared nonexistent and removed from maps. Some believe it was a strategic move for Argentina to justify future territorial claims in the South Atlantic.\n\nPodesta Island was supposedly discovered by an Italian captain in 1879. He described it as a small landmass off the coast of Chile, and for years, it appeared on official maps. But when modern expeditions went looking for it, they found nothing. Today, most historians agree it was likely a hoax, fabricated by the captain himself or later mapmakers who copied the error without question.\n\nBut perhaps the most famous hoax of all was Pepys Island. In 1684, English explorer William Ambrose Cowley claimed to have discovered a new island near the Falklands. He named it after Samuel Pepys, a powerful English official, hoping the honour would win him favour in Britain.\n\nFor years, maps included Pepys Island, but doubts grew as time went on. No one else had ever seen it, and later expeditions failed to locate it. Eventually, it was determined that Cowley had probably just misidentified one of the Falkland Islands or made the whole thing up to boost his reputation.\n\nIn the age of exploration, the unknown was a gold mine for ambition. If you claimed to find an island, people listened. Some explorers lied for money. Some did it for fame. And some did it simply because they could.\n\n## The Mysterious Cases\n\nSome phantom islands were simple mistakes. Others were outright lies. But then there are the ones that don't fit either explanation—the islands that were seen, mapped, visited and then vanished. These are the true mysteries, the ones that make us question whether we really know what's out there.\n\nOne of the strangest is Hy-Brasil, a supposed island in the North Atlantic, west of Ireland, first sighted in 1325. It appeared on maps for centuries, described as a fog-shrouded land full of riches, strange animals, and magic. Sailors claimed to have seen it, and some even reported landing there.\n\nOne of the most famous encounters happened in 1674 when a Scottish sea captain named John Nisbet claimed his crew found Hy-Brasil and met its inhabitants—mysterious, robed figures who gave them gifts before allowing them to leave. This story captivated many and established Hy-Brasil as one of the most famous Phantom Islands—and yet, it wasn't true. While, remarkably, the story persisted for centuries, it was actually a work of fiction by Anglo-Irish writer Richard Head, who used the island of Hy-Brasil as a setting for several of his works.\n\nBy the 19th century, it had disappeared from maps entirely. So, did it ever exist? Was it all a mirage? A misidentification of an existing landmass?\n\nAnother baffling case is Saxemberg Island. First reported in the 17th century, this island in the South Atlantic was described by multiple explorers as a flat, volcanic land mass with rocky shores. Over the next two hundred years, different captains reported seeing Saxemberg, some even sketching detailed drawings of it. But then, something strange happened. In the 19th century, ships began returning with reports that the island was gone—no land, no rocks—just endless ocean where Saxemberg had been.\n\nUnlike other phantom islands that appeared only once or twice before disappearing, Saxemberg was recorded over multiple generations. So what happened? Some suggest it was a floating pumice raft from an underwater volcanic eruption, while others argue that it could have been a real island that later sank or eroded away.\n\nIn the icy, unforgiving waters of the Southern Ocean, an island was said to rise like a jagged scar on the world's edge. They called it Emerald Island, a name that didn't fit the place's cold, bleak reality. And yet, the name stuck, spreading through the taverns of seafarers like wildfire.\n\nIt all began in 1821, when Captain Nockells, master of the British sealing ship *Emerald*, claimed to have spotted the island during a voyage between New Zealand and Antarctica. His descriptions were vivid and precise. Snow-covered peaks scraped the sky, rugged cliffs loomed over crashing waves, and barren, icy shores stretched as far as the eye could see. The coordinates were logged, mapped, and accepted as truth.\n\nOver the following decades, ships journeyed to the area, driven by scientific curiosity, the lure of new resources, or pure greed. Some swore they saw it, a flash of dark rock against the endless white of the sea. Others returned maddened by days of fruitless searching, insisting the island had been nothing but a phantom—a cruel joke played by the ocean itself. What makes Emerald Island so strange is that Captain Nockells was far from the only one to report seeing it. Over the years, other captains recorded glimpses of the same snow-drenched landscape, always in the same area, always just out of reach.\n\nHowever, by the early 20th century, Emerald Island became a taunt, a challenge for those obsessed with proving themselves against the impossible. Expeditions, both official and rogue, set out to claim what had already been mapped. And every single one failed. Some said the island had sunk, dragged down by tectonic forces or eroded by time. Others whispered of darker fates—of a place cursed to remain unseen, doomed to drift just beyond reach.\n\n## A Scientific Explanation?\n\nSo, how—or even can, an entire island simply disappear from the face of the Earth? While it sounds like something out of a sailor's nightmare, science provides logical—though still unsettling—explanations.\n\nThe most common culprit is erosion, a slow and merciless process driven by the relentless forces of wind, waves, and currents. Islands, particularly those made of soft materials like sand or coral, are at constant risk of being worn away. Over years, and especially during extreme weather events like hurricanes, typhoons, and tsunamis, chunks of land can be washed away bit by bit. Even solid rock formations are not immune; over millennia, they too can crumble under nature's assault.\n\nThen there's the very real threat of rising sea levels, a modern-day menace intensified by climate change. As glaciers melt and oceans expand due to warming temperatures, low-lying islands are quite literally being swallowed by the sea. The Pacific and Indian Oceans, in particular, are home to numerous atolls and small islands now teetering on the brink of submersion. Entire communities have been forced to relocate, their homelands slipping beneath the waves, never to be seen again.\n\nTectonic activity might also play its own part in this mystery. The Earth's crust is a patchwork of shifting plates, always moving, colliding, and rearranging. An underwater earthquake can cause land to rapidly subside, sinking below the surface in an instant. Volcanic islands, born from fiery eruptions, can just as easily be destroyed by the very forces that created them. Take the example of Krakatoa in 1883: a powerful volcanic explosion obliterated much of the island, leaving only scattered fragments above the waterline.\n\nIsostatic rebound and subsidence can also drastically alter landscapes. When large ice sheets melt, the crust beneath them slowly rises—a process called isostatic rebound. Conversely, areas previously uplifted by geological forces may gradually sink, dragging islands down with them. Even natural disasters like landslides can result in the sudden loss of land. Submarine landslides, often triggered by earthquakes or volcanic activity, can cause chunks of seabed to collapse, dramatically altering the topography and causing islands to sink or fragment.\n\n## Phantom Worlds\n\nFor centuries, we've tried to map the world and pin down every landmass, coastline, and island. And yet, again and again, we've found places that weren't there or weren't supposed to be there.\n\nSome of these phantom islands were honest mistakes resulting from poor navigation or mirages on the horizon. Others were deliberate fabrications made up for power, profit, or pure deception. But the strangest ones—the ones that were seen, visited, mapped, and then vanished—are the ones that leave us with questions.\n\nCould some of these islands have really existed, only to be lost beneath the waves? Did the sailors of old see something real—or were they fooled by the tricks of light, weather, and the vast, unknowable ocean?\n\n*Olivier Guiberteau*\n\n## Key Takeaways\n\n- Phantom islands have been reported throughout history, often appearing on maps and then vanishing.\n- Some phantom islands were likely due to mistakes or misidentifications by early explorers.\n- Certain phantom islands were deliberately fabricated for fame, power, or deception.\n- Scientific explanations for disappearing islands include erosion, rising sea levels, and tectonic activity.\n- Some phantom islands were recorded by multiple ships and mapped by different nations, adding to their mystery.\n\n## Frequently Asked Questions\n\n### What are phantom islands?\n\nPhantom islands are landmasses that have been reported by explorers and sailors but do not actually exist or have disappeared over time.\n\n### Why did some phantom islands disappear from maps?\n\nAs maps became more accurate over time, some phantom islands were erased because they were found to not exist or were determined to be mistakes.\n\n### What is Isla San Borondón?\n\nIsla San Borondón is a mythical island in the South Atlantic that sailors reported seeing, but it would vanish into thin air. It was named after Saint Brendan, who claimed to have landed on it in AD 512.\n\n### What is the legend of Antillia, the Isle of Seven Cities?\n\nThe legend of Antillia began with seven Christian bishops fleeing the Moors and building a utopian paradise on a distant island. Maps from the 15th century marked it, but no ship ever touched its shores.\n\n### What is Buss Island and why did it disappear?\n\nBuss Island was a phantom island reported by the crew of the Emmanuel in 1578. It was described as rich and fertile but disappeared from maps by the 1800s, becoming a myth.\n\n### What is Sandy Island and why was it removed from maps?\n\nSandy Island was reportedly first seen by Captain Cook in 1774 and appeared on maps for over 200 years. In 2012, a research team found nothing at its supposed location, leading to its removal from modern maps.\n\n### What are some possible explanations for the disappearance of phantom islands?\n\nPossible explanations include erosion, rising sea levels, tectonic activity, isostatic rebound, subsidence, and natural disasters like landslides and volcanic eruptions.\n\n### What is the Isle of Demons and was it a real island?\n\nThe Isle of Demons was a supposed island off the coast of Newfoundland reported in the 1500s. Many historians believe it was a complete fabrication, possibly invented to make maps more exciting or to explain shipwrecks.\n\n### What is Hy-Brasil and why is it considered a phantom island?\n\nHy-Brasil is a supposed island in the North Atlantic first sighted in 1325. It was described as a fog-shrouded land full of riches and magic, but it was actually a work of fiction by Anglo-Irish writer Richard Head.\n\n### What is Emerald Island and why is it considered a mystery?\n\nEmerald Island was reported by Captain Nockells in 1821 and described as a snow-covered, rugged island. Multiple captains reported seeing it, but by the early 20th century, it became a taunt, with expeditions failing to find it.\n\n## Sources\n\n- [Original Places video: The Weird World of Ghost Islands...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIjLnym33G8)\n- [Hero image source](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Iberian_fires_August_2025.jpg) by contains Copernicus Sentinel data (2025), processed by ESA / openverse, by-sa.\n\n## Related Coverage" url: https://places.site/article/weird-world-of-ghost-islands.md canonical: https://places.site/article/weird-world-of-ghost-islands datePublished: 2026-07-01 dateModified: 2026-07-01 author: - name: Simon Whistler url: https://places.site/author/simon-whistler publisher: Places image: "https://media.places.site/cdn-cgi/image/width=1600,height=900,fit=cover,quality=80,format=auto/articles/VIjLnym33G8/hero.jpg" type: NewsArticle contentHash: 3fd0aa3f63f6e7101affe62dda7f5bf3aee669ee99c29a72950fd29f433cd747 tokens: 5391 summaryUrl: https://places.site/article/weird-world-of-ghost-islands.md.summary.md --- Maps are supposed to show us the world as it is—solid, unchanging, real. They mark the mountains, the rivers, the oceans, and, of course, the islands. But what if some of those islands never existed? For centuries, explorers and sailors have reported seeing land where, as far as we can tell today, there is none. Some of these islands were drawn onto maps, given names, and even claimed by entire nations. Some were said to be thriving with life, home to strange plants and unknown creatures. Others were feared, whispered about in dark taverns—cursed places that swallowed ships whole. But as time passed and maps became more accurate, something strange happened. These islands—some of which had been marked on charts for hundreds of years—simply disappeared—erased as if they had never been there in the first place. Some were honest mistakes—shadows on the horizon mistaken for land or low-lying reefs that came and went with the tides. Others were outright fabrications, hoaxes created by ambitious explorers looking to make a name for themselves. But then there are the truly strange ones—the islands that were recorded by multiple ships, mapped by different nations, and seen over and over again, and yet, when modern explorers went looking for them, they found nothing but open ocean. ## Mythical Islands Throughout history, the seas have whispered of places that never existed, lands conjured from fear, hope, or pure imagination. These mythical islands became legends, etched onto maps, steering sailors off course and haunting the minds of explorers. Their names became rallying cries for expeditions, obsessions for kings, and treasures for cartographers who dared to dream of worlds beyond the known. In the chilly expanse of the South Atlantic, sailors swore they saw Isla San Borondón—a mystical isle with a nasty habit of vanishing into thin air. Descriptions varied wildly. Some spoke of towering cliffs and verdant forests, while others claimed to have seen bizarre creatures stalking its shores. It was said to drift between worlds, visible one moment, gone the next, like a mocking illusion conjured by the sea itself. And some claimed to have actually set foot on it. This island is named after Saint Brendan, who claimed to have landed on it in AD 512 with 14 monks, who then stayed for 15 days. Locals feared it, believing it was cursed or bewitched, forever slipping just beyond humanity's grasp. But still, the hopeful and the adventurous ventured out, praying for a glimpse of the impossible. And then there's Antillia, the Isle of Seven Cities. Its legend began with desperation. As the Moors swept across the Iberian Peninsula, seven Christian bishops, determined to preserve their faith and way of life, fled into the wild Atlantic. The story claimed they built a utopian paradise on a distant island, each bishop ruling over his own city of gold and splendour. Maps from the 15th century marked it confidently, far to the west off the coast of Portugal. Navigators searched relentlessly, lured by dreams of untouched riches and divine refuge. Yet, no ship ever touched its shores. Antillia became a ghost, more powerful as a myth than any kingdom built from stone and steel. One of the most intriguing stories was about Buss Island, a shadowy smear of land that should never have existed but did—at least for a time. It was 1578 when the crew of the *Emmanuel*, a small whaling ship out of England, caught sight of it. Captain James Newton scribbled it down in his log, describing rich, fertile land where trees swayed under brisk Arctic winds. But no matter how many times they tried to land, the island seemed to drift away like a ghost. For years afterward, Buss Island showed up on maps with a stubborn persistence. Explorers who claimed to have seen it spoke of lush shores and rolling hills—an oasis in the icy waters between Greenland and Canada. Dreams of untapped wealth and new hunting grounds fueled expeditions for decades. But every journey ended in frustration. Captains raved about seeing land just on the horizon, only to vanish in the blink of an eye. Some said the sea swallowed it; others whispered of a cursed island that played tricks on sailors' minds. By the 1800s, cartographers scratched their heads and gradually erased Buss Island from their maps. It became nothing more than a myth; a salty tale passed around taverns. ## The Cartographer's Mistakes Early explorers didn't have GPS, satellite imagery, or even reliable longitude measurements. They relied on compasses, the stars, and rough estimations of distance. If a sailor thought he saw land on the horizon, well, that was good enough for the mapmakers back home. A quick sketch, a name plucked from legend, and just like that—an island was born. Some of these phantom islands were simple errors—misidentified landmasses or mistakes that took centuries to correct. Others resulted from mirages, optical illusions, or even floating icebergs mistaken for solid ground. And sometimes, islands really were there for a time, only to be swallowed by the sea or eroded away. Take Sandy Island, reportedly first seen by Captain Cook in 1774, for example. For over 200 years, it appeared on maps of the South Pacific, marked as a small landmass near New Caledonia. It even made it onto Google Earth. But in 2012, a research team from Australia set sail to confirm its location and found absolutely nothing. No land, no reef—just a vast ocean where the island was supposed to be. When they returned, Sandy Island was erased from modern maps. There are theories that it may have been an incorrect amendment to the Cook Islands, which shares the same latitude, while others argue it could have been an unusual pumice raft from an underwater volcanic eruption that simply drifted away. Or was it always an illusion, an error copied so many times that it became accepted as fact? Then there's Bermeja, a supposed island in the Gulf of Mexico that mysteriously vanished. It was marked on maps as early as the 16th century, yet today, no trace of it exists. Some believe it was simply a cartographic mistake. Others, however, have a far wilder theory—that Bermeja was erased on purpose. Let me explain. The Gulf of Mexico is rich in oil and natural resources, and under international law, territorial claims depend on land boundaries. If Bermeja had existed, it might have given Mexico a legal claim to certain oil fields. Some conspiracy theorists believe the island was deliberately removed from maps to change political boundaries. It sounds insane—but to this day, no one has fully explained why so many maps for centuries showed an island that wasn't there. And then there's Isla San Juan, an island supposedly discovered off Chile's coast by Spanish explorers in the 16th century. It was documented on maps for 300 years before suddenly disappearing. Ships searching for it in the 19th century found nothing. Did it sink? Was it misidentified? Or, like Sandy Island, was it nothing more than an error that lasted far longer than it should have? Thule was an ancient island recorded by Greek explorers in the 4th century BC. According to Pytheas, a famous Greek geographer, Thule was located far north of Britain, beyond the edge of the known world. He described it as a frozen, misty land where the sun never fully set in summer and never fully rose in winter—a place that sounds eerily similar to Iceland or Norway. But later explorers never found the exact island he described. Some scholars believe Thule was actually Iceland, Greenland, or the Faroe Islands, which were misidentified due to Pytheas' rough calculations. Others argue that Thule might have been a real landmass that has since disappeared. The truth is that early mapmakers didn't have the luxury of double-checking their work. If one mapmaker recorded an island, others copied it without question. And so, mistakes spread, turning illusions into landmarks and errors into accepted facts. Some of these phantom islands were corrected centuries later, wiped away as our understanding of geography improved. But others remain mysteries, leaving behind only the question: Did they ever exist at all? ## The Hoaxes and Lies Not every phantom island was the result of a simple mistake. Some were deliberate fabrications—invented for fame, power, or pure deception. In the age of exploration, the unknown was a blank canvas, and for those willing to exploit it, an island that didn't exist could be just as valuable as one that did. Explorers have always been rewarded for discovery. The more land a nation claims, the more prestige, funding, and influence it gains. Sometimes, that means faking discoveries to gain favour with kings and governments. Take the Isle of Demons, for example. First reported in the 1500s, this supposed island off the coast of Newfoundland was said to be cursed, home to terrifying creatures and evil spirits that tormented sailors. Stories spread of ships that got too close and never returned. The island even appeared on maps for over a century, warning sailors to steer clear. But did it ever exist? Not likely. Many historians believe it was a complete fabrication, possibly invented by cartographers to make maps more exciting—or by sailors looking to explain why some ships vanished in storms. Over time, reality and legend blurred, and the Isle of Demons became a fixture of maritime folklore. Then there's Aurora Island, supposedly located in the South Atlantic Ocean. In 1767, the Spanish ship *Aurora* claimed to have discovered a long, mountainous island in the open sea. Argentina later declared it part of their territory, even though few other sailors had ever seen it. Over the years, several ships went looking for Aurora Island, but no one could find it. After multiple failed expeditions by the early 20th century, the island was declared nonexistent and removed from maps. Some believe it was a strategic move for Argentina to justify future territorial claims in the South Atlantic. Podesta Island was supposedly discovered by an Italian captain in 1879. He described it as a small landmass off the coast of Chile, and for years, it appeared on official maps. But when modern expeditions went looking for it, they found nothing. Today, most historians agree it was likely a hoax, fabricated by the captain himself or later mapmakers who copied the error without question. But perhaps the most famous hoax of all was Pepys Island. In 1684, English explorer William Ambrose Cowley claimed to have discovered a new island near the Falklands. He named it after Samuel Pepys, a powerful English official, hoping the honour would win him favour in Britain. For years, maps included Pepys Island, but doubts grew as time went on. No one else had ever seen it, and later expeditions failed to locate it. Eventually, it was determined that Cowley had probably just misidentified one of the Falkland Islands or made the whole thing up to boost his reputation. In the age of exploration, the unknown was a gold mine for ambition. If you claimed to find an island, people listened. Some explorers lied for money. Some did it for fame. And some did it simply because they could. ## The Mysterious Cases Some phantom islands were simple mistakes. Others were outright lies. But then there are the ones that don't fit either explanation—the islands that were seen, mapped, visited and then vanished. These are the true mysteries, the ones that make us question whether we really know what's out there. One of the strangest is Hy-Brasil, a supposed island in the North Atlantic, west of Ireland, first sighted in 1325. It appeared on maps for centuries, described as a fog-shrouded land full of riches, strange animals, and magic. Sailors claimed to have seen it, and some even reported landing there. One of the most famous encounters happened in 1674 when a Scottish sea captain named John Nisbet claimed his crew found Hy-Brasil and met its inhabitants—mysterious, robed figures who gave them gifts before allowing them to leave. This story captivated many and established Hy-Brasil as one of the most famous Phantom Islands—and yet, it wasn't true. While, remarkably, the story persisted for centuries, it was actually a work of fiction by Anglo-Irish writer Richard Head, who used the island of Hy-Brasil as a setting for several of his works. By the 19th century, it had disappeared from maps entirely. So, did it ever exist? Was it all a mirage? A misidentification of an existing landmass? Another baffling case is Saxemberg Island. First reported in the 17th century, this island in the South Atlantic was described by multiple explorers as a flat, volcanic land mass with rocky shores. Over the next two hundred years, different captains reported seeing Saxemberg, some even sketching detailed drawings of it. But then, something strange happened. In the 19th century, ships began returning with reports that the island was gone—no land, no rocks—just endless ocean where Saxemberg had been. Unlike other phantom islands that appeared only once or twice before disappearing, Saxemberg was recorded over multiple generations. So what happened? Some suggest it was a floating pumice raft from an underwater volcanic eruption, while others argue that it could have been a real island that later sank or eroded away. In the icy, unforgiving waters of the Southern Ocean, an island was said to rise like a jagged scar on the world's edge. They called it Emerald Island, a name that didn't fit the place's cold, bleak reality. And yet, the name stuck, spreading through the taverns of seafarers like wildfire. It all began in 1821, when Captain Nockells, master of the British sealing ship *Emerald*, claimed to have spotted the island during a voyage between New Zealand and Antarctica. His descriptions were vivid and precise. Snow-covered peaks scraped the sky, rugged cliffs loomed over crashing waves, and barren, icy shores stretched as far as the eye could see. The coordinates were logged, mapped, and accepted as truth. Over the following decades, ships journeyed to the area, driven by scientific curiosity, the lure of new resources, or pure greed. Some swore they saw it, a flash of dark rock against the endless white of the sea. Others returned maddened by days of fruitless searching, insisting the island had been nothing but a phantom—a cruel joke played by the ocean itself. What makes Emerald Island so strange is that Captain Nockells was far from the only one to report seeing it. Over the years, other captains recorded glimpses of the same snow-drenched landscape, always in the same area, always just out of reach. However, by the early 20th century, Emerald Island became a taunt, a challenge for those obsessed with proving themselves against the impossible. Expeditions, both official and rogue, set out to claim what had already been mapped. And every single one failed. Some said the island had sunk, dragged down by tectonic forces or eroded by time. Others whispered of darker fates—of a place cursed to remain unseen, doomed to drift just beyond reach. ## A Scientific Explanation? So, how—or even can, an entire island simply disappear from the face of the Earth? While it sounds like something out of a sailor's nightmare, science provides logical—though still unsettling—explanations. The most common culprit is erosion, a slow and merciless process driven by the relentless forces of wind, waves, and currents. Islands, particularly those made of soft materials like sand or coral, are at constant risk of being worn away. Over years, and especially during extreme weather events like hurricanes, typhoons, and tsunamis, chunks of land can be washed away bit by bit. Even solid rock formations are not immune; over millennia, they too can crumble under nature's assault. Then there's the very real threat of rising sea levels, a modern-day menace intensified by climate change. As glaciers melt and oceans expand due to warming temperatures, low-lying islands are quite literally being swallowed by the sea. The Pacific and Indian Oceans, in particular, are home to numerous atolls and small islands now teetering on the brink of submersion. Entire communities have been forced to relocate, their homelands slipping beneath the waves, never to be seen again. Tectonic activity might also play its own part in this mystery. The Earth's crust is a patchwork of shifting plates, always moving, colliding, and rearranging. An underwater earthquake can cause land to rapidly subside, sinking below the surface in an instant. Volcanic islands, born from fiery eruptions, can just as easily be destroyed by the very forces that created them. Take the example of Krakatoa in 1883: a powerful volcanic explosion obliterated much of the island, leaving only scattered fragments above the waterline. Isostatic rebound and subsidence can also drastically alter landscapes. When large ice sheets melt, the crust beneath them slowly rises—a process called isostatic rebound. Conversely, areas previously uplifted by geological forces may gradually sink, dragging islands down with them. Even natural disasters like landslides can result in the sudden loss of land. Submarine landslides, often triggered by earthquakes or volcanic activity, can cause chunks of seabed to collapse, dramatically altering the topography and causing islands to sink or fragment. ## Phantom Worlds For centuries, we've tried to map the world and pin down every landmass, coastline, and island. And yet, again and again, we've found places that weren't there or weren't supposed to be there. Some of these phantom islands were honest mistakes resulting from poor navigation or mirages on the horizon. Others were deliberate fabrications made up for power, profit, or pure deception. But the strangest ones—the ones that were seen, visited, mapped, and then vanished—are the ones that leave us with questions. Could some of these islands have really existed, only to be lost beneath the waves? Did the sailors of old see something real—or were they fooled by the tricks of light, weather, and the vast, unknowable ocean? *Olivier Guiberteau* ## Key Takeaways - Phantom islands have been reported throughout history, often appearing on maps and then vanishing. - Some phantom islands were likely due to mistakes or misidentifications by early explorers. - Certain phantom islands were deliberately fabricated for fame, power, or deception. - Scientific explanations for disappearing islands include erosion, rising sea levels, and tectonic activity. - Some phantom islands were recorded by multiple ships and mapped by different nations, adding to their mystery. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What are phantom islands? Phantom islands are landmasses that have been reported by explorers and sailors but do not actually exist or have disappeared over time. ### Why did some phantom islands disappear from maps? As maps became more accurate over time, some phantom islands were erased because they were found to not exist or were determined to be mistakes. ### What is Isla San Borondón? Isla San Borondón is a mythical island in the South Atlantic that sailors reported seeing, but it would vanish into thin air. It was named after Saint Brendan, who claimed to have landed on it in AD 512. ### What is the legend of Antillia, the Isle of Seven Cities? The legend of Antillia began with seven Christian bishops fleeing the Moors and building a utopian paradise on a distant island. Maps from the 15th century marked it, but no ship ever touched its shores. ### What is Buss Island and why did it disappear? Buss Island was a phantom island reported by the crew of the Emmanuel in 1578. It was described as rich and fertile but disappeared from maps by the 1800s, becoming a myth. ### What is Sandy Island and why was it removed from maps? Sandy Island was reportedly first seen by Captain Cook in 1774 and appeared on maps for over 200 years. In 2012, a research team found nothing at its supposed location, leading to its removal from modern maps. ### What are some possible explanations for the disappearance of phantom islands? Possible explanations include erosion, rising sea levels, tectonic activity, isostatic rebound, subsidence, and natural disasters like landslides and volcanic eruptions. ### What is the Isle of Demons and was it a real island? The Isle of Demons was a supposed island off the coast of Newfoundland reported in the 1500s. Many historians believe it was a complete fabrication, possibly invented to make maps more exciting or to explain shipwrecks. ### What is Hy-Brasil and why is it considered a phantom island? Hy-Brasil is a supposed island in the North Atlantic first sighted in 1325. It was described as a fog-shrouded land full of riches and magic, but it was actually a work of fiction by Anglo-Irish writer Richard Head. ### What is Emerald Island and why is it considered a mystery? Emerald Island was reported by Captain Nockells in 1821 and described as a snow-covered, rugged island. Multiple captains reported seeing it, but by the early 20th century, it became a taunt, with expeditions failing to find it. ## Sources - [Original Places video: The Weird World of Ghost Islands...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIjLnym33G8) - [Hero image source](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Iberian_fires_August_2025.jpg) by contains Copernicus Sentinel data (2025), processed by ESA / openverse, by-sa. ## Related Coverage