The Legend of Atlantis and the Canary Islands

The Legend of Atlantis and the Canary Islands

The legend of Atlantis is based on the idea that a continent lay somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean beyond ‘The Pillars of Hercules’, to the west of Gibraltar. It was thought to be some kind of Utopia and was a persistent theme throughout ancient Greek and Roman times.

It was believed to have been washed away, almost entirely sunk and disappeared below the sea. Plato, the Greek philosopher, believed that only seven mountain tops remained above the waves of the lost continent of Atlantis.

Atlantis Map
Atlantis Map

His theories were most likely based on the stories of ancient mariners, and it is probably no coincidence that there are seven main islands in the Canaries, all made of soft volcanic soil, easily washed away by the sea.

It has been suggested by some that the Canary Islands could be the mythical lost continent of Atlantis as told in these stories in ancient times.

Lost Continent of Atlantis
Lost Continent of Atlantis