This Island Doesn't Exist But Keeps Popping Up on Maps

Bright Side

There’s this wild mystery about an island called Sandy Island—it doesn’t exist, but it keeps showing up on maps. For years, people thought it was real because early explorers reported it, and mapmakers just went with it. Even Google Maps had it at one point! Then, in 2012, a research team sailed to where it was supposed to be and found… nothing but open ocean. Turns out, it was probably a mix-up with pumice stones floating on the water or just plain human error. Now it’s a reminder that not everything on a map is true, and even cartographers can get it wrong!  Animation is created by Bright Side. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/   Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV   Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brightside Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en Telegram: https://t.me/bright_side_official   Stock materials (photos, footages and other): https://www.depositphotos.com https://www.shutterstock.com https://www.eastnews.ru ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate.

Transcript

00:00Sandy Island is a creepy landmass that appeared on world maps for nearly 200 years before

00:07vanishing into thin air.

00:09Located in the South Pacific between Australia and New Caledonia, this phantom island was

00:15first documented by explorers in the 18th century and continued to pop up on maps and

00:20even scientific surveys.

00:22But when a research ship sailed through its supposed coordinates in 2012, they found nothing

00:28but open water.

00:29They even measured the ocean depth at this spot, and it was always more than 4,000 feet

00:34deep, so there was no chance of a big piece of land could be hiding under the water.

00:39To make things even weirder, when you look up its exact coordinates on Google Earth,

00:43you'll still see a faint outline of what looks like a long, thin island, but with no

00:49landmass in sight.

00:51Theories about its disappearance talk about possible cartography errors, but the mystery

00:56of how a whole island fooled the world for centuries is still unsolved.

01:02Speaking of mysterious islands, let's dive into the enigma of Hashima Island.

01:07Located off the coast of Nagasaki, Japan, this small island was once a bustling coal

01:12mining facility, thriving with workers and families.

01:16But as the demand for coal declined, the island was abandoned in the 1970s, leaving behind

01:23a haunting ghost town.

01:25Today Hashima stands eerily silent, with crumbling concrete buildings and overgrown

01:30vegetation.

01:31And if you're brave enough, you can do a virtual tour using Google Earth.

01:37But there are other places where digital maps won't let you see much, like the Ward Islands

01:42in Australia.

01:44If you search for its coordinates, you'll notice a bunch of blackout spots near the

01:48coast.

01:49This has led to all sorts of wild speculation online, sparking curiosity about what might

01:54be hidden beneath the surface.

01:56I mean, is it just a glitch, or could there really be some unusual wildlife down there?

02:02Well, we still don't have concrete answers for these obscured areas, but it is worth

02:07mentioning that this region is part of a wilderness protection area.

02:11This place is an important zone for the Australian sea lion and the New Zealand fur seal, for

02:16example.

02:17So, these blackout spots could be just part of a plan to keep everything private and protected

02:23out there.

02:25From creepy islands to abandoned places, if you ever find yourself driving through Rio

02:30de Janeiro, you might catch a glimpse of something unsettling – a group of creepy Santas, faded

02:36candy canes, and rusty slides surrounded by palm trees and dense greenery.

02:42This is Parque Aba Noel, an eerie, abandoned Christmas-themed amusement park in Brazil.

02:48The park's creator had big dreams, thinking it would become a massive, eclectic attraction

02:53with different themed areas.

02:55We're talking about a space the size of 460 football fields.

03:00Work started in 2000, but the place shut down a few years later after the creator tragically

03:06passed away in a car accident just meters from the park's entrance.

03:10Today, the attractions are slowly being taken over by rust.

03:16This totally feels like something out of a sci-fi movie, but those multicolored rings

03:21are actually right here on Earth – in Yellowstone National Park, to be exact.

03:26At 370 feet in diameter, it is the largest hot spring in the United States and the third

03:32largest in the world.

03:34When you see it from above, the different colors come from various types of bacteria

03:38that act like real-life thermographic filters.

03:41Each type of bacteria thrives at different temperatures, and their colors reflect the

03:46heat levels in different parts of the spring.

03:51Our next stop is in Italy, where you can find the Villa di Vecchi, also known as the Red

03:56House or the Ghost Mansion.

03:58For every ghost mansion, there's an urban legend behind it.

04:02Now, while nothing we're about to say is confirmed, the tale is still pretty interesting

04:07and downright bizarre.

04:10Built in the mid-19th century by Count Felix di Vecchi, this once grand summer residence

04:15quickly became the site of tragedy.

04:18The Count's wife passed away under mysterious circumstances, and his daughter disappeared,

04:23never to be seen again.

04:25Devastated, the Count is said to have spent his remaining days searching for answers.

04:31Over the years, the mansion fell into ruin, with local legends adding to its haunted reputation.

04:37Some claim to hear strange noises or see ghostly figures, while others whisper about unusual

04:42rituals that might've taken place there.

04:45Though crumbling and overgrown, Villa di Vecchi remains popular for those intrigued

04:50by its eerie history.

04:54While we've explored eerie and abandoned human-made structures, let's take a look

04:58at a place where nature's forces left their own massive mark.

05:02The Meteor Crater in Arizona.

05:05The site was formed in an instant about 50,000 years ago, when a large iron-nickel meteorite

05:10slammed into Earth.

05:12Measuring just under a mile wide and 560 feet deep, the crater is one of the best-preserved

05:18impact sites in the world.

05:21Standing at its edge, you can almost picture the incredible force of the impact, wiping

05:26out everything around it.

05:27Today, the Meteor Crater is a fascinating geological landmark, drawing in scientists

05:33and curious visitors.

05:36From a Google Earth point of view, this area in Niger looks creepy and what seems to be

05:42clusters of glass domes dotting the landscape, almost like an interplanetary colony.

05:48But in reality, it's kind of an illusion.

05:51Those domes are actually small semicircular pits, and they're part of the Just Dig It

05:56project.

05:57Can you dig it?

05:58These pits, known as water buns or Earth smiles, are dug to capture rainwater and restore dry

06:04degraded land.

06:06It's a simple but genius method that helps bring life back to areas suffering from desertification.

06:13By trapping water, these buns allow vegetation to grow again, cooling the land and reviving

06:18ecosystems.

06:21Now you have probably heard of the famous Nazca Lines in Peru, right?

06:25We're talking about those massive ancient geoglyphs, carved into the desert, which have

06:30shapes like a spider, a monkey, and a hummingbird.

06:34Well, recently, something similar popped up, and it's got the internet buzzing.

06:39This new figure, located at the top of a mountain, looks a lot like a wild boar.

06:44While it's super cool to find a potential new geoglyph, the lack of solid info and the

06:49not-so-sharp edges make us think it's just a natural formation.

06:53It's still pretty intriguing, though.

06:57But if you head down south to Chile, that's where you'll actually find a real geoglyph.

07:02We're talking about the Atacama Giant, which is around 390 feet tall.

07:08What looks like a funny drawing seems to represent some sort of spiritual figure or deity.

07:14There's no solid proof of what it actually means, but experts believe this design might've

07:19worked as an early astronomical calendar.

07:22The points on the top and sides of the head are said to indicate the seasons based on

07:27how they align with the Moon.

07:30Meanwhile, you might also find some mysterious shipwrecks while exploring Google Earth, like

07:35the MV Plassey in Ireland.

07:38This ship met its tragic fate back in 1960, when a heavy storm and strong winds blew it

07:43ashore at Finis Rock, tearing a hole in the vessel's bottom.

07:48Water started rushing in from underneath.

07:50After some shouting and running in all directions, the crew managed to get out of the ship.

07:55Today, the vessel's remains are still at Finis Rock and have become a popular attraction.

08:01You can still see its hull, which keeps falling apart over time, making the whole scene even

08:06creepier.

08:07And we've also got something interesting involving the Titanic.

08:13Now it's true that the ship is really 13,000 feet underwater, so you actually can't see

08:18it with satellite cameras.

08:20If you type these coordinates into Google Earth, you'll find the spot of the Titanic

08:25accident.

08:26It's not that creepy of a place, I mean, it's really just a huge expanse of blue.

08:31But still, it's pretty interesting to get the big picture of how they seemed so far

08:36from everything on that tragic night when the ship went down.

08:44That's it for today!

08:45So hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it with your

08:49friends.

08:50Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!

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