Atlantis - The Lost Continent

There are many legends and debates about the Lost City of Atlantis.

Did Atlantis really exist and if so, where was Atlantis and where is Atlantis now? Some legends say that Atlantis was situated west of the entrance to the Mediterranean while others say it could be South America or the Pacific.

In fact, around fifty places around the world have been nominated as possible sites for the lost continent of Atlantis. To begin the investigate we first have to go back to the beginning of the legend of Atlantis.

This was started by the Greek Philosopher and Scholar Plato around 350BC. Plato described the island continent as lying to the West of Greece, "beyond the Pillars of Hercules".

He also described Atlantis as a tropical country surrounded by mountains and fertile plains. West of "the Pillars of Hercules" (now known as the Strait of Gibraltar) lies the Atlantic Ocean.

Plato described Atlantis as lying towards the center of the Atlantic. This location is where the Azores are situated. Could the Azores be the remains of the mountain chains of Atlantis. Ater all, the Azores enjoy a fairly tropical climate and are in the area suggested by Plato.

In addition to the Azores are the Verde and Canary islands off the North West Coast of Africa.

These islands, together with the Azores form a shape like a backward C. Could these islands be the mountain ranges which Plato described as having surrounded Atlantis? There have been many other suggestions.

Some say that Atlantis is confused with the lost city state of Helike while others say it could be Tartessos. In additions, sites such as Carthage, the Minoan civilization of Crete, Thera, South America and many others have also been suggested. As this site grows, we will try to show the pros and cons of as many suggested locations for the lost city of Atlantis as possible.