Explore the real-world places that appear in The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne. Each location on the map shows what happens there in the novel, the real history of the place, and what's there today. Featured locations include Mount Franklin, Lake Grant, Granite House, Prospect Heights, Port Balloon and 8 more.
The island's volcanic peak
Cyrus Smith, Gideon Spilett, Pencroff, Neb, Harbert and Nab climb the mountain early on to survey the land and confirm they are on an island. Its dormant crater holds a hidden connection to Nemo's lair, and its eruption at the end destroys the island. The castaways find the volcano stirring again before the final catastrophe.
The coordinates fall in the open South Pacific, far from any charted land. In the 1860s this ocean was crossed mainly by whalers and traders, and many small islands were only roughly charted. Verne used this uncertainty to make an undiscovered island plausible.
At these coordinates there is only open ocean, with no island or volcano. The nearest inhabited islands are the remote Austral Islands and Rapa Iti, hundreds of kilometers away. It is a very sparsely travelled part of the Pacific.
Freshwater lake on the east side
The settlers explore the lake and name it after Captain Grant of In Search of the Castaways. Its waters drain through a passage that Cyrus Smith redirects, exposing the hidden cavern behind Granite House. This lets them use the cavern's space for storage and a protective position.
No real lake exists at the coordinates. The ocean here has depths of several kilometers. The island is entirely Verne's invention, built in a real ocean region left blank on contemporary charts.
The site is open Pacific water, far from any shipping lanes. Only occasional research vessels or yachts pass through. Nothing marks the location.
Cliffside home of the castaways
Pencroff, Harbert and the others discover a series of cavities in a cliff face and Cyrus Smith has them expanded into a home. A rope ladder and later a lift give access, and the colonists add rooms, windows and a kitchen. It becomes the heart of their settlement.
At this location there is only open sea. Verne drew on contemporary ideas about self-sufficient colonies and the Robinsonade tradition from Defoe. The cliff dwelling idea echoes real cave homes in Cappadocia and the American Southwest.
No structure exists at the site. Visitors seeking a similar atmosphere could visit cave dwellings elsewhere in the world. The site itself is unmarked ocean.
Plateau above Granite House
The castaways clear this plateau for farming, planting the single grain of wheat Pencroff finds in his pocket. They build a poultry yard, windmill and later a bridge. The heights give an overview of the colony and a defensible position.
No plateau exists at these coordinates. Verne's agricultural details reflect nineteenth-century enthusiasm for scientific farming. The grain of wheat episode echoes biblical themes of small seeds growing.
Open ocean. No land is within sight of the coordinates. The nearest land features are tiny volcanic islands in French Polynesia.
Where the castaways first landed
After escaping the Confederate siege of Richmond in a balloon, the Union prisoners crash on a beach. Cyrus Smith is lost in the surf and later found by his dog Top. The balloon's remains are used to make supplies and the beach gains its name.
The Siege of Richmond (1864-65) was a real campaign of the American Civil War. Verne used this setting to start the story with Union prisoners and a daring escape. The balloon recalls the era's fascination with ballooning, including Union Army balloon use.
The coordinates are in open ocean. For the real escape setting, Richmond, Virginia has Civil War museums and battlefields. The American Civil War Museum and Richmond National Battlefield Park interpret the siege.
Livestock enclosure at the mountain's foot
The settlers build a fenced enclosure for the mouflons and other animals they capture. Ayrton is later installed here, and pirates attack it. Cyrus Smith, Harbert and others travel between it and Granite House.
No such site exists at these coordinates. The corral idea reflects ranching practices found in the American West and Australia, the latter being a land Verne often referenced. Sheep farming was a major colonial industry in the nineteenth century.
Only ocean. Visitors interested in historic ranch life could visit places such as living-history farms. The coordinates themselves have no landmarks.
Captain Nemo's hidden lair
The castaways discover a hidden submarine cavern where the dying Captain Nemo has sheltered the Nautilus for years. Nemo reveals he was Prince Dakkar, an Indian rebel, and his secret aid to the colonists. He dies and the Nautilus is scuttled before the volcano erupts.
Nemo first appeared in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas and this novel completes his story. Verne's Dakkar references the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The Nautilus reflects the era's emerging interest in submarine technology.
There is no cavern at the coordinates. Visitors interested in the Nautilus can see replicas and exhibits at Jules Verne museums, such as the Maison de Jules Verne in Amiens. The coordinates are in the open ocean.
Marsh teeming with wildfowl
The settlers hunt wildfowl in the marsh and use it as a source of food. Ayrton and others cross the area during expeditions. The marsh's tadorn ducks are named for the bird species found there.
No marsh exists at these coordinates. The tadorn is a real European duck, giving the fen its name. Verne enjoyed lists of natural history and used real species names to add authenticity.
The location is open ocean. Real shelduck habitats can be found in wetlands in Europe such as the Wadden Sea. There is nothing at the Pacific coordinates.
Forest by the Mercy River
The settlers gather wood, hunt and explore here in the early days. Pencroff and Harbert hunt game, and the forest provides lumber for building. It is the colonists' first source of resources.
No such wood exists at this location. The name refers to the jacamar, a South American bird, and shows Verne's habit of using exotic species names. The forest also recalls the frontier woods of American colonization narratives.
The coordinates are open sea. Real jacamars live in the forests of Central and South America. Nothing marks the location in the Pacific.
Long southern promontory
The settlers explore this peninsula and find wreckage and a sheltered shore. Pencroff considers using its coast for boat launching. The peninsula's end, Reptile End, is another landmark.
The coordinates are open sea. The island's reptile-like shape is Verne's invention. Using animal shapes to describe landforms was common in nineteenth-century exploration writing.
Nothing is at the site apart from ocean. Visitors seeking dramatic peninsulas could visit places like Kaikoura or the Mornington Peninsula. The coordinates are remote.
Islet off the east coast
The settlers explore the islet and use it as an outpost. They rescue a shipwrecked sailor and hold a vigil. The islet gives them a view of the sea and the horizon.
No islet exists at the coordinates. Verne frequently included small islands as stepping stones in his adventure plots. Real Pacific islets served as navigation points for sailors.
The location is open ocean. Real islets such as those in French Polynesia are popular for snorkeling and tours. No land is nearby.
Broad bay on the southwest coast
The castaways explore the gulf and name it for the sharks they see. Pencroff and Harbert survey the coast here. The gulf's rocky shores yield shellfish.
The coordinates are in open ocean. Sharks were a familiar hazard in nineteenth-century sea narratives. Verne's naming echoes real explorers' habit of naming bays for wildlife.
Open sea, home to pelagic wildlife like sharks. Visitors might see similar waters on shark-watching tours elsewhere. No facilities exist at the site.
Nearby islet where Ayrton was marooned
The castaways learn of Tabor Island when they find a bottle message and use it to find Ayrton, a former pirate abandoned there. A rescue mission aboard the Bonadventure brings him to Lincoln Island. Later the Scottish yacht Duncan arrives at Tabor and finds the colonists.
Tabor Island recalls the stories of marooned sailors and the real practice of abandoning criminals on remote islands. Verne links it to the Grant novel In Search of the Castaways. The position was chosen to match remote South Pacific areas.
At the coordinates there is open ocean far from land. The nearest inhabited places are in the Austral Islands and New Zealand's remote waters. No island is charted there.
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