Lost lands areislands orcontinents believed by some to have existed duringprehistory, but to have since disappeared as a result ofcatastrophic geological phenomena.
Legends of lost lands often originated as scholarly or scientific theories, only to be picked up by writers and individuals outside the academy.Occult andNew Age writers have made use of lost lands, as havesubaltern peoples.Phantom islands, as opposed to lost lands, are land masses formerly believed bycartographers to exist in thecurrent historical age, but to have been discredited as a result of expanding geographic knowledge. The classification of lost lands as continents, islands, or other regions is in some cases subjective; for example,Atlantis is variously described as either a "lost island" or a "lost continent". Lost land theories may originate inmythology orphilosophy, or in scholarly or scientific theories, such ascatastrophic theories ofgeology.[citation needed]
With the development of plate tectonic simulation software, new lost land has been discovered and confirmed by the scientific community (likeGreater Adria in 2019).
Although the existence of lost continents in the above sense is mythical (aside from Zealandia[1] and Greater Adria[2]), there were many places on Earth that were once dry land, but submerged after theice age around 10,000 BCE due torising sea levels, and possibly were the basis forNeolithic andBronze Ageflood myths. Some were lost due tocoastal erosion or volcanic eruptions. An (incomplete) list follows:
A large island in theMediterranean Sea, of whichMalta is the only part not now submerged.
Ferdinandea, a submerged volcanic island in theMediterranean Sea that has appeared at least four times in the past.
Kerguelen Plateau, a partially-submerged micro-continent of which part, theKerguelen Islands, is not now submerged. Other parts are now 1–2 kilometres (0.62–1.2 miles) below sea level.
Maui Nui, once a large island of theHawaii archipelago; several major islands represent residual high ground of Maui Nui.
Zealandia, a scientifically accepted continent that is now 94% submerged under the Pacific Ocean, surrounding the areas ofNew Zealand andNew Caledonia.
Llys Helig Welsh legends regarding the local rock formations conceal the palace of PrinceHelig ap Glanawg, said to be part of a larger drowned kingdom nearPenmaenmawr,Wales.
Ys, a mythical drowned city inBrittany, similar to other Celtic lost lands inWelsh andCornish tradition. Most versions of the legend place the city in theBaie de Douarnenez.
