As Edward Brooke-Hitching writes in his new book, The Phantom Atlas: The Greatest Myths, Lies, and Blunders on Maps (Chronicle Books), some fake places made a lasting impression simply because their promoters were so brazen. Some imaginary features, though, remained on charts well after satellite imagery and GPS should have confirmed their nonexistence.
Mythological mountain ranges, illusory oceans, and apocryphal islands crowded the maps of early navigators.
