Mayda (variously known as Maida, Mayd, Mayde, Brazir, Mam, Asmaida, Asmayda, Bentusle, Las Maidas Bolunda and Vlaanderen) is a non-existent island in the North Atlantic that has been shown on several published maps at various points in history. It was most often represented as being crescent-shaped and its position has varied widely over time. Early maps drew the island west of

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...

and southwest of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, but it later moved towards the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

( Newfoundland,

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = "Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , es ...

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...

History

The island first appeared under the name of Brazir, on the Pizigani brothers' 1367 map. It was crescent-shaped and sited southwest of the island of

Brasil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area an ...

, on the same latitude of southern

.Babcock, p. 83 It appeared as Asmaidas on a map of the

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. ...

accompanying Waldseemüller's 1513 edition of Ptolemy's ''Geography''.

Ortelius Abraham Ortelius (; also Ortels, Orthellius, Wortels; 4 or 14 April 152728 June 1598) was a Brabantian cartographer, geographer, and cosmographer, conventionally recognized as the creator of the first modern atlas, the ''Theatrum Orbis Terrarum ...

(in ''

Theatrum Orbis Terrarum ''Theatrum Orbis Terrarum'' (, "Theatre of the Orb of the World") is considered to be the first true modern atlas. Written by Abraham Ortelius, strongly encouraged by Gillis Hooftman and originally printed on 20 May 1570 in Antwerp, it consi ...

'') placed a crescent-shaped island in the traditional location of Mayda with the name "Vlaenderen" ("Flanders").Ramsay, p. 219 Submerged land of the appropriate shape has been found in the area of early maps () at a depth of 20 fathoms (120 ft; 36.5 m) which suggested to one author that Mayda may have existed. The island is the namesake of

Mayda Insula Mayda Insula is an island in the Kraken Mare, a body of liquid composed primarily of methane, on Saturn's largest moon Titan. Mayda Insula is the first island (insula) to be named on a planet or moon other than Earth. Discovery and naming Mayda ...

, an island in the

Kraken Mare Kraken Mare is the largest known body of liquid on the surface of Saturn's moon Titan. It was discovered by the space probe '' Cassini'' in 2006, and was named in 2008 after the Kraken, a legendary sea monster. It covers an area slightly bigger ...

on Saturn's moon Titan.

Appearances on maps

* Pizigani brothers map (1367) as Brazir * Catalan map (1375) as MamRamsay, p. 217 * Pinelli map (1384) as Jonzele/I.Onzele * Pizzigano Map (1424) either as Ventura or Ymana. * Bianco world map (1448) as Bentusla *

Waldseemüller map The Waldseemüller map or ''Universalis Cosmographia'' ("Universal Cosmography") is a printed wall map of the world by German cartography, cartographer Martin Waldseemüller, originally published in April 1507. It is known as the first map to ...

(1513) as Asmaidas * Prunes map (1553) as MaydaRamsay, p. 218 * Nicolay map (1560) as I man orbolunda

In popular culture

*The island of Mayda is a principal location in the novel '' A Web of Air'' by

Philip Reeve Philip Reeve (born 28 February 1966) is a British author and illustrator of children's books, primarily known for the 2001 book '' Mortal Engines'' and its sequels (the 2001 to 2006 '' Mortal Engines Quartet''). His 2007 novel, '' Here Lies Art ...

Notes

References

* * *{{cite book , last = Ramsay , first = Raymond , title = No Longer on the Map: discovering places that never were , publisher = Viking Press , location = New York , year = 1972 , isbn = 0-670-51433-0 , chapter = The Maybe of Mayda Phantom islands of the Atlantic Islands of the North Atlantic Ocean