The Anson Archipelago was a designation for a widely scattered group of purported islands in the Western
North Pacific Ocean
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.
Etymology
The word ''no ...
between
Japan and
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only ...
. The group was supposed to include
Wake Island
Wake Island ( mh, Ānen Kio, translation=island of the Sida fallax, kio flower; also known as Wake Atoll) is a coral atoll in the western Pacific Ocean in the northeastern area of the Micronesia subregion, east of Guam, west of Honolulu, sou ...
and
Marcus Island
, also known as Marcus Island, is an isolated Japanese coral atoll in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, located some southeast of Tokyo and east of the closest Japanese island, South Iwo Jima of the Ogasawara Islands, and nearly on a straight ...
, as well as many
phantom islands
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 navigati ...
such as
Los Jardines
Los Jardines or Los Buenos Jardines (Spanish for "the good gardens") are phantom islands supposedly located northeast of the Mariana Islands.
The islands were reportedly visited by Spanish explorers Álvaro de Saavedra Cerón (who named them ...
,
Ganges Island,
Rica de Oro, and
Rica de Plata (the latter two sometimes referred to as Roca de Oro and Roca de Plata).
James Hingston Tuckey: Maritime Geography and Statistics. Black, Parry & Company, 1815
/ref> The archipelago was named after George Anson, who seized Spanish navigational charts of these waters during his voyage around the world.
See also
* Pedro de Unamuno
Pedro de Unamuno was a Spanish soldier and sailor who was active in New Spain and Spanish East Indies, particularly the Philippines, in the second half of the 16th century. He is known for commanding the galleon ''Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza' ...
* Chryse and Argyre
Chryse and Argyre ( and ) were a pair of legendary islands, located in the Indian Ocean and said to be made of gold (''chrysos'' in Greek) and silver (''argyros'').
In Book 6, chapter 23 of his ''Natural History (Pliny), Natural History'', conc ...
References
Phantom islands
Islands of the Pacific Ocean
Archipelagoes of the Pacific Ocean
Fictional archipelagoes
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