According to the English Wikipedia, “[a] phantom island is a purported island which was included on maps for a period of time, but was later found not to 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.”
But if, on the vast expanse of sea, you squint your eyes, orient your ship, and adjust your mind, you may soon find yourself standing on the shores of an island that doesn’t exist – yet how can you say that if it is right in front of you?
Phantom islands, like true phantoms, are seemingly only available to those who believe. And while the rest of the world might regard them as fiction, to us, they are very much reality.