Phantom islands

A phantom island is a purported island which has appeared on maps but was later found to not exist. They usually originate from the reports of early sailors exploring new regions, and are commonly the result of navigational errors, mistaken observations, unverified misinformation, or deliberate fabrication. Some have remained on maps for centuries before being "un-discovered". Unlike lost lands, which are claimed (or known) to have once existed but to have been swallowed by the sea or otherwise destroyed, a phantom island is one that is claimed to exist contemporaneously, but later found not to have existed in the first place (or found not to be an island, as with the Island of California). ExamplesVarious phantom islands were thought to have been 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′S120°20′W / 59.333°S 120.333°W / -59.333; -120.333, some 2500 miles west of the southern tip of South America. He described it as 5–6 miles long with a high bluff to the northeast and covered in snow. Dougherty's d