The Azores Islands: their Relationship to Atlantis

The first indications that "mythical" lands across the sea existed were suggested by Theopompue in 4th century B.C., who wrote of a large western land in the Atlantic. Pliny and Diodorus later wrote of a large continent to the west, while the Greek Solon (in 600 B.C.) while travelin in Egypt was recounted stories of an island named Atlantis. Plato wrote about this in Dialogues of 400 BC. His account tells of a powerful land outside the "pillars of Hercules" (which is a reference to Gibraltar) that was larger than Libya and Asia combined. It was a land that was the way to other lands, but it sank during a time of earthquakes and floods. The water was so muddy from its sinking that it was impassable.

But on early nautical charts and maps islands were found located in the Atlantic, like the Fortunate Isles, Antillia, Brazil, and California. There were stories, such as Irish St. Brendan of Clonfert who, in 545, sailed from Kerry to discover islands on his journey (likely Madeira). On a Catalan chart these Atlantic islands were identified as the Isles of St. Brendan, lying only a few hundred miles off the Straits of Gilbraltar. In the 12th Century, the Arab Mohammad al Edrisi was credited at one time of having located a series of islands which might have been the Cape Verdes, the Maderias, the Canaries, or possibly the Azores.