The Island of California refers to a long-held European misconception,dating from the 16th century, that California was not part of mainland North America but rather a large island separated from the continent by a strait now known instead as the Gulf of California.

One of the most famous cartographic errors in history, it was propagated on many maps during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, despite contradictory evidence from various explorers.

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4 Comments

  1. Ah, funny! Reading the link (‘The Island of California’), I thought the article would be about the possibility of California seceding from the US, then at first glance of the map I thought it was California after Global Warming had taken its toll, and now … Just chuckling to myself as I observe the baggage (read = prejudice) *I* come with when consuming information.

  2. This is a very good example of experts and the most knowledgeable people on a subject taking guesses and publishing it and providing misinformation.

    What else have we been told that is pure fiction? Every political promise before an election..

    Every bill should have a mandatory 1 page description in plain English of the intent of the bill along with the economic impact to all parties. In recent months such a summary could just be boilerplate. The intent is to benefit the people on the second page and steal from those not mentioned.

  4. The maps of California look impressive and authoritative, yet they were nothing more than an unverified guess. I wonder if any lives or fortunes were lost when the people relying on them were led astray.

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