Apocryphal Voyages to the Northwest Coast of America.

The article discusses mythical voyages to the Pacific coast of America and speculation regarding its geography. The author notes attempts to discover the Northwest Passage through North America and comments on stories regarding an alleged Portuguese expedition through the passage. Cartographer Giacomo Gastaldi wrote about the Strait of Anian, a mythical strait which was said to divide North America from Asia. The discovery of the Bering Strait by explorer Vitus Bering brought attention to mythical voyages by explorers Juan de Fuca, Lorenzo Ferrer Maldonado and Bartholomew de Fonte. A map created by geographers Philippe Buache and Joseph Nicholas Delisle based on the apocryphal voyages of Fuca and Fonte is discussed.