Talk:Phantom island

Untitled
Some confusion here... there's the 'topic' Phantom Island, and the 'category' Phantom Island, and the latter is a lot smaller! How does one clean this up?
 * You have to visit each of the articles and add   to its source if it isn't already there. The Phantom islands page will be automatically updated. --Spudtater 17:55, 8 May 2005 (UTC)

I thought a "phantom island" was one which exists only at high tide. It's called a "phantom", I suppose, because it disappears like a ghost at low tide.

I propose that this article be renamed to "mythical islands" or "Islands of Myth".

California used to be thought to be an island. Can that be added here? If so, are there others like that? RickK 20:07, Jun 20, 2004 (UTC) - I think it needs another category as it's not mythical.

I noticed Swain's Island was on the list. Is that the same island as modern day Swains Island???-Falphin

For purposes of clarity, I have distinguished between "phantom islands" and Lost Lands. The lost lands were tacked on to the end of this article in a separate list but had no relevance to the definition of phantom islands given at the top of the page. I've added a link to the new article, as well, to help avoid confusion. Rejohnson83 1 May 05.

COMMENT : The sentence beginning "I thought a "phantom island. . . ." should read ". . . was one which exists only at low tide. It's called a "phantom", I suppose, because it disappears like a ghost at high tide".

What is "BCE?" It said "fourth century BCE." I changed "fourth century" to "4th century," but is that supposed to be "4th century BC"--as in "Before Christ?"


 * BCE is the current terminology used globally to refer to B.C., as the latter term is considered religious in nature, as opposed to the Common Era terminology.Wzrd1 (talk) 02:12, 16 June 2012 (UTC)

Filippo reef
What about the "Filippo reef", believed to exist somewhere east from Starbuck, line islands in the Pacific Ocean. Navigators heading from Tahiti to Hawaii consider wise to take an eastward route to avoid hiting the Filippo, so nobody goes where it is supposed to be and then nobody can verify that it really exists ??? stephane.jourdan@informatique.gov.pf


 * Is there are source for this claim? --Gene_poole 23:27, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

I went on a trip to the line islands and it was on the itinerary, but we did not find it. That said it is very hard to prove that the something does not exist. The only reference is on the wikipedia article and dates back to 1926. Normally on that basis I would say it might well exist, but looking at the sea bed topograpic data, also referenced on the article, I would say it is unlikely to exist. Does anyone know how to get satellite photos of the area which may cast light on the subject? cdgillie@yahoo.co.uk —Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.194.255.28 (talk) 23:18, 22 February 2011 (UTC)


 * Navigational charts will show "missing" land, such as land that is submerged by tides, many such areas are mapped by sonar. Others, by historic measurements that are later re-verified. So, it's NOT hard to prove something does not exist in geological terms. ESPECIALLY since anything that goes underwater part of the time would be shallow enough to sink expensive merchant vessels.Wzrd1 (talk) 02:12, 16 June 2012 (UTC)

Phantom island
This article doesn't cite any sources. A google search on "phantom island" turns up this Wikipedia article and pages for places named Phantom Island, but not much evidence for "phantom island" as a common phrase. Can anyone give evidence that "phantom island" is used to mean "islands that are believed to exist and appear on maps for a period of time (sometimes centuries) but are later removed after they are proved nonexistant or the general population no longer believes they exist." --Akhilleus (talk) 15:46, 13 October 2006 (UTC)
 * There are probably many references; one is Donald S. Johnson, Phantom Islands of the Atlantic: The Legends of Seven Lands That Never Were ISBN 0380730782.

Caravanserralius Island
What and where is Caravanserralius Island? There don't seem to be any Google hits that don't come form this article. It doesn't have an aricle of its own so it's just a name in a list and a dubious one at that. Is it fictional? Flapdragon 12:33, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

The other phantom islands
What about the phantom islands that are said to disappear and reappear? I thought Antilia was one example, but I don't see anything regarding this topic anywhere on Wikipedia... Would be nice to see it mentioned somewhere. 71.217.98.158 05:10, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

Isle of Demons
This calls the Isle of Demons "purely mythical", yet that article seems to be saying that it is what is now called Quirpon Island. I can't tell for sure; it's kind of confusingly written. It seems to suggest that the mythical part refers to the story about it being haunted by demons, etc, but since they give a modern location for it, it doesn't exactly fit in with the definition given by this article, which is islands that were charted but never actually existed. Like I said, I'm not at all sure what "Isle of Demons" is actually saying, but it does say that it's "on Quirpon Island" (how an island can be on an island, I'm not sure), so it can't be 100% mythical..45Colt 07:51, 30 October 2015 (UTC)

Is Zanara ancient or modern?
The current description reads:


 * An island situated in front of Monte Argentario, in the Tyrrhenian Sea between the Isola del Giglio and Giannutri. It was reported for the first time by the cartographer and astronomer Gerardus Mercator in 1589 and subsequently reported in numerous ancient maps by illustrious cartographers until 1720.

So if it 1st appears in a modern map, I'm not sure how it could later appear in "numerous ancient maps". Had it already appeared in ancient maps and geographies, and then been questioned by Mercator? I suspect mistranslation and/or misinterpretation. 108.56.130.251 (talk) 20:07, 1 September 2022 (UTC)


 * I think you're misreading it. It wasn't "questioned" by Mercator, it was apparently invented by him. "Ancient" isn't a good description of 1589–1720, but otherwise it makes sense. Jason A. Quest (talk) 20:32, 1 September 2022 (UTC)
 * @JasonAQuest Can you find reliable sources as I’ve deleted it. Doug Weller  talk 15:10, 2 September 2022 (UTC)
 * What's wrong with the source cited by the editor who added it? I don't read Italian very well, and it doesn't mention Mercator, but it seems to establish that Zanara is a genuine example. Jason A. Quest (talk) 16:04, 2 September 2022 (UTC)
 * @JasonAQuest it is very brief and seems to suggest it’s real. But it is also about a conference. It’s just a newspaper so not a very reliable source for this. I have seen other sources suggesting it’s real also.  Doug Weller  talk 18:20, 2 September 2022 (UTC)