When Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) was discovered in 1642 by Abel Tasman, it appeared on contemporary maps as an isolated coastline. Its insular nature would not be confirmed for another 150 years.
Map Myths
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Map Myths delves into the stories and people behind the phantom geography found on maps - by @rhewlif.xyz Myth map 👉 https://mapmyths.com Long reads 👉 https://mapmyths.com/blog
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Gerard Mercator’s 1600-1699 map of South America features a very spiny fish, a flying fish, a Patagonian giant, and some folks potentially exploring Antarctic waters. This map is held by the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
#OTD in 1892, Robert Peary reached Independence Fjord and assumed it to mark the northern coast of mainland Greenland. The phantom Peary Channel he charted would remain on maps until Danish expeditions completed surveys of this coastline decades later. mapmyths.com/blog/peary-c...
A lighthouse built on the Baltic island of Märket ended up redrawing an international border. In 1885, when Finland was part of the Russian Empire, a much-needed lighthouse was planned - the treacherous island had contributed to the sinking of eight ships in 1873 alone.
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Jan Baptista Vrients’s 1608 map of Genoa features a pair of sea beasts (one startled by the compass), and a siren with head plumage and braided tails. And how about those griffons? This map is held by a private collector.
Look closely at Swisstopo maps, and you might find a hidden easter egg. www.swisstopo.admin.ch/en/hidden-im...
The legend of Prester John goes back to the mid-12th century, and tells of a Christian king of enormous wealth and power. His kingdom was initially thought to lie in Asia. The idea that it could lie in Africa emerged once Europeans began to learn about the real Christian kingdom of Ethiopia.
The Royal Cartographer to France created a rare mistake in 1780 by mapping 'Alaschka' as an island. The name derives from the Aleut language, meaning 'the mainland'. This early attempt at rendering the Aleutian Islands came just after Cook's voyage to the Pacific Northwest returned in 1779.
It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Gerard Mercator and Andre Thevet’s 1569 map of western South America features a furry fish with a wolf-like head, what looks like a wolfman on all fours, and some Patagonian giants. This map is held by the Library of Congress.
Muhammad Al-Idrisi's world map from 1154 is one of the most advanced of its time, drawn for the Norman king of Sicily, Roger II. To ensure its accuracy, 15 years were spent examining existing maps and interviewing travellers. Note that south is at the top of the map.
Our new video is out on YouTube 🔥
Did German pirates reach America two decades before Columbus?
YouTube video by Map Myths
youtu.be
A short story on the mysterious 'double-life' of Giles Land - a phantom island that persisted on maps of the Arctic well into the 20th century. How did the island manage to fool mappers and explorers for so long? 🧵
a foggy landscape with mountains and a body of water in the foreground
ALT: a foggy landscape with mountains and a body of water in the foreground
media.tenor.com
During the first circumnavigation of the world, Ferdinand Magellan came across only two islands during their traverse of the Pacific Ocean. One found on 24th January 1521 was named San Pablo, probably the Puka-Puka atoll in the north-eastern Tuamotu Archipelago.
A new island was just discovered in Antarctica. And it definitely isn't an iceberg. The 'dirty iceberg' spotted by RV Polarstern in the Weddell Sea turned out to be a rocky island 130 metres long & 50 metres wide. The naming process is underway.
Uncharted island soon to appear on nautical charts
A 93-strong international expedition team has been exploring the northwestern Weddell Sea in the Antarctic on board the Alfred Wegener Institute's icebreaker Polarstern since 8 February 2026. In this ...
awi.de
For #MapMonsterMonday, why not check out our new video on Abraham Ortelius' Islandia? If the sea monsters, the erupting gateway to hell, or polar bears didn't get you, at least you could quench your thirst at the spring of beer 🍺
The bizarre details hidden in a 16th-century map of Iceland
YouTube video by Map Myths
youtu.be
1/3 It’s #MapMonsterMonday! Gerard Mercator’s 1569 (reprinted here 1864) sheet five of his map of the world hosts many incredible creatures that defy description. This map is held by a the University of Pittsburgh.
Early explorations of the Paraguay River and the discovery of the vast Pantanal floodplain soon led to the embellishment of a vast inland sea. Initially, it went by the name of Eupana on Portuguese and other European maps.
The mis-sighting of the Croker Mountains represents probably one of the most significant mistakes made in the race to find a Northwest Passage during the 19th century.
Map myths in the wild...Mercator's Septentrionalium Terrarum descriptio spotted on an advertisement at University of Tromsø campus
Happy 499th birthday to Abraham Ortelius! 🎉
Le Cartographe 🗺️🍷@lecartographe.bsky.social · 4mo agoSouhaitons tous un excellent anniversaire au cartographe et géographe brabançon Abraham #Ortelius, né le 14 avril 1527 ! Il est connu pour avoir créé le premier atlas moderne, "Theatrum Orbis Terrarum".
đź“Ł NEW BLOG POST: From Puritan paradise to debaucherous hellhole. Once hailed as a royal gift ripe for the taking, the island of Fonseca eventually became synonymous with debauchery and the worst of 'colonial vices'.
The Nimrod Islands were first reported by Captain Henry Eilbeck of the ship Nimrod, who passed them while sailing across the Pacific between Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour) and Rio Janeiro in 1828. He noted a great quantity of marine 'vegetables' and numerous birds and amphibious animals.
I take you on a short journey around Buache's 1757 map of his Terres Antarctiques, and the stories he used to predict an entire continent. #Antarctica
The 'impossible' map of Antarctica, decades before its discovery #Antarctica #history
YouTube video by Map Myths
youtu.be
A surveying mistake made in 1841 near Vancouver can still be found on Google Maps. Gordon and Adolphus islands were inexplicably charted within the San Juan Islands in Washington by Lieut. Charles Wilkes during the United States Exploring Expedition, even though neither existed.
Spot the difference...1541 vs 1561 and the correction of the Yucatan island to a peninsula. Traces of the mistaken coastline are still evident on the printing block used for Ruscelli's 1561 version of his 'New Spain' map.
Johnston Atoll was inadvertently discovered when two ships simultaneously ran aground on its northern reef in 1796. Captain Pierpont conveyed his experience to several American newspapers, along with reasonably accurate coordinates. But Pierpont would not be the one to name the atoll.
According to the English hydrographer, John Purdy, Walker's Islands were first reported by a Captain Walker in 1814, described as low and well-wooded. Their coordinates were recorded as 3°34'N, 149°15'W.
