thumb|Mayda on a 1649 map by [[Willem Blaeu]]
Mayda (variously known as Maida, Mayd, Mayde, Brazir, Mam, Asmaida, Asmayda, Bentusle, Las Maidas Bolunda, and Vlaanderen) is a phantom island in the North Atlantic Ocean that appeared on maps from the 14th century until the early 20th century. Typically depicted as crescent-shaped and positioned west of Brittany or southwest of Ireland, approximately at 46° to 48° N latitude, Mayda was among the most persistent of the Atlantic phantom islands. Alexander von Humboldt observed around 1836 that of the numerous legendary Atlantic islands, only Mayda and Brazil Rock still appeared on contemporary charts. The island's position varied considerably across different maps, though it was most often placed in the open Atlantic far west of lower Brittany and more or less southwest of Ireland.
In popular culture
The island of Mayda is a principal location in the novel A Web of Air (2010) by Philip Reeve, where it is depicted as a crater city off the coast of Portugal.
See also
- Brasil (mythical island)
- List of phantom islands