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I found this gem of a story whilst looking for some news on the flooding in my area........ Cheered me up no end!


From bbc.co.uk

A South Pacific island, shown on marine charts and world maps as well as on Google Earth and Google Maps, does not exist, Australian scientists say.

The supposedly sizeable strip of land, named Sandy Island on Google maps, was positioned midway between Australia and French-governed New Caledonia.

But when scientists from the University of Sydney went to the area, they found only the blue ocean of the Coral Sea.

The phantom island has featured in publications for at least a decade.

Scientist Maria Seton, who was on the ship, said that the team was expecting land, not 1,400m (4,620ft) of deep ocean.

"We wanted to check it out because the navigation charts on board the ship showed a water depth of 1,400m in that area - very deep," Dr Seton, from the University of Sydney, told the AFP news agency after the 25-day voyage.

"It's on Google Earth and other maps so we went to check and there was no island. We're really puzzled. It's quite bizarre.

"How did it find its way onto the maps? We just don't know, but we plan to follow up and find out."

Australian newspapers have reported that the invisible island would sit within French territorial waters if it existed - but does not feature on French government maps.

Australia's Hydrographic Service, which produces the country's nautical charts, says its appearance on some scientific maps and Google Earth could just be the result of human error, repeated down the years.

A spokesman from the service told Australian newspapers that while some map makers intentionally include phantom streets to prevent copyright infringements, that was was not usually the case with nautical charts because it would reduce confidence in them.

A spokesman for Google said they consult a variety of authoritative sources when making their maps.

"The world is a constantly changing place, the Google spokesman told AFP, "and keeping on top of these changes is a never-ending endeavour'.'

The BBC's Duncan Kennedy in Sydney says that while most explorers dream of discovering uncharted territory, the Australian team appears to have done the opposite - and cartographers everywhere are now rushing to undiscover Sandy Island for ever.

Can I get a link to the article itself?
I got a good laugh out of this.
Greatest. Hoax. Ever.
How the hell was it on google maps if... Oh MY GOD! It's Atlantis! It didn't sink, It's been moving!

You surely can dude....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20442487

So why is it showing on the satellite image? Or is that actually a satellite image or a relief map?

If it doesn't exist can i annex it?

EDIT: It is now a Province of Texas, Now to annex Texas.

I wonder what nation claimed to have owned it...

 Squidmanlolz wrote:
I wonder what nation claimed to have owned it...

Probly Australia.

Frickin' donkey wheel.

Article says it would have been in French territorial waters. Y'know, if it actually existed.

Probably the lair of a super-villain. Once the interest dies out it'll emerge from the ocean once again.

sarpedons-right-hand wrote:Australian newspapers have reported that the invisible island would sit within French territorial waters if it existed - but does not feature on French government maps.

Squidmanlolz wrote:I wonder what nation claimed to have owned it...

 Valkyrie wrote:
Probably the lair of a super-villain. Once the interest dies out it'll emerge from the ocean once again.

Gentlemen, Google maps has uncovered the meeting place of the Legion of Doom.

Reminds me a number of 007 Movies.

Clearly it is R'lyeh. The explorers were very lucky it was not surfaced.

If we find it not where it supposed to be I wonder if it will end in a pissing contest with the French about who owns the Island. It's as good as ours.

 Kilkrazy wrote:
Clearly it is R'lyeh. The explorers were very lucky it was not surfaced.

Shame, I always fancied visiting there.....

In an unrelated note, a team of Australian divers has gone missing and a dragon-squid has been terrorizing south-east Asia... Where's Mothra when you need him?

It shows up on the map in Google Maps (at -19,160), while the satellite image just shows a Sandy Island-shaped black spot.

 nomsheep wrote:

 Squidmanlolz wrote:
I wonder what nation claimed to have owned it...

Probly Australia.

They mentioned it is in French owned waters, so it'd be theirs.

I'm pretty sure that the Australian expedition were just approaching from the wrong compass bearing so couldn't see it, or the island was in the process of jumping through time or something. They need to go back by submarine.

 Kilkrazy wrote:
Clearly it is R'lyeh. The explorers were very lucky it was not surfaced.

Wondered if page one would be cleared before this comment appears.
i

 Howard A Treesong wrote:
Frickin' donkey wheel.

Must not have pushed the button.

It wouldn't be the first prank Google have played on people.

If that area of ocean hadn't had an actual satallite picture taken of it (that had been examined by a human), does that mean there's a possibility for an island somewhere which no-one has found yet? Granted it's a very small possibility, but...

It may be supermans holiday home....the fortress of sanditude.
Or an evil organisations nuclear missile silo.

 sarpedons-right-hand wrote:


I found this gem of a story whilst looking for some news on the flooding in my area........ Cheered me up no end!


From bbc.co.uk

A South Pacific island, shown on marine charts and world maps as well as on Google Earth and Google Maps, does not exist, Australian scientists say.

The supposedly sizeable strip of land, named Sandy Island on Google maps, was positioned midway between Australia and French-governed New Caledonia.

But when scientists from the University of Sydney went to the area, they found only the blue ocean of the Coral Sea.

The phantom island has featured in publications for at least a decade.

Scientist Maria Seton, who was on the ship, said that the team was expecting land, not 1,400m (4,620ft) of deep ocean.

"We wanted to check it out because the navigation charts on board the ship showed a water depth of 1,400m in that area - very deep," Dr Seton, from the University of Sydney, told the AFP news agency after the 25-day voyage.

"It's on Google Earth and other maps so we went to check and there was no island. We're really puzzled. It's quite bizarre.

"How did it find its way onto the maps? We just don't know, but we plan to follow up and find out."

Australian newspapers have reported that the invisible island would sit within French territorial waters if it existed - but does not feature on French government maps.

Australia's Hydrographic Service, which produces the country's nautical charts, says its appearance on some scientific maps and Google Earth could just be the result of human error, repeated down the years.

A spokesman from the service told Australian newspapers that while some map makers intentionally include phantom streets to prevent copyright infringements, that was was not usually the case with nautical charts because it would reduce confidence in them.

A spokesman for Google said they consult a variety of authoritative sources when making their maps.

"The world is a constantly changing place, the Google spokesman told AFP, "and keeping on top of these changes is a never-ending endeavour'.'

The BBC's Duncan Kennedy in Sydney says that while most explorers dream of discovering uncharted territory, the Australian team appears to have done the opposite - and cartographers everywhere are now rushing to undiscover Sandy Island for ever.

Sounds like Spectre has begun building their secret rocket base.

 Kilkrazy wrote:
Clearly it is R'lyeh. The explorers were very lucky it was not surfaced.

O R'lyeh?



...Sorry. Couldn't resist that one.

Anyway, time to place bets on how long it will take before the Chinese start complaining that the island was theirs and that the "Japanese devils" stole it.

 AlexHolker wrote:
It shows up on the map in Google Maps (at -19,160), while the satellite image just shows a Sandy Island-shaped black spot.

So it's on the map, but not the sat image? Odd indeed. Wonder if it was ever there to begin with.

I would love to have been the guys on the boat