Some Imaginary California Geography.

The article discusses speculation by cartographers regarding the geography of the Pacific coast of the U.S. north of California. The author comments on belief in the Strait of Anian, a mythical passage between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans or believed to separate America and Asia, and notes Spanish maps that speculated that California was an island. The mythical city Quivira was believed to be located near the coast and was described in the writings of historian Francisco Lopez de Gomara regarding an expedition by explorer Francisco Vázquez de Coronado. The appearance of Quivira on a map by cartographer Gerard Mercator is noted.