The Pacific’s Phantom Walker Island Vanishes Without a Trace (Video)

Cartography, or the study and practice of making maps, has a fascinating history.

Looking back in time, mapmakers had crazy conceptions of what the earth, and its continents, looked like. For example, the 1482 depiction of the known world, as outlined by ancient Greece’s Ptolemy. It is mesmerizing – yet wildly inaccurate.

Fast-forward in time, and technology got better. So did maps. Today, we have a pretty good idea of our world’s geography, but there are still some mysteries out there. Like, the concept of “phantom islands,” or, landmasses that once existed on maps, but don’t anymore. One of those enigmatic atolls is Walker Island, near Hawaii. See below.

Above, a geography enthusiast examines the history – and disappearance – of Walker Island. As he explains in the video’s description: “In the mid 1800s, an island started popping up on maps in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. However, when people started looking for it, it was nowhere to be found. In this video, I use old newspapers and primary sources to start to uncover the truth and history behind Walker, or Low Woody Island.”

The island (or islands) was reported in multiple accounts from the 19th century, and the account went like this: “In 1813, an Australian ship captain, Theodore Walker, returned to Sydney with a tale about an island in the South Pacific that was covered with sandalwood trees – growing from the shore to the very tops of the mountains.”

And it was documented on maps of the time; however, today, it has disappeared.

So, what happened?

“At this point, I’ve reached a dead end,” the YouTuber continues. “This is the info we have. In 1861, someone came by the area, found that it wasn’t there, but it stayed on maps for a while after. That’s what we know about this phantom island.”

Secret island (and waves) hidden in the South Pacific? Dare to dream.