Where Is the Lost City of Atlantis? (2024)

Wonder of the Day #740

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SOCIAL STUDIES — Geography

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Where is the lost city of Atlantis?
How old is the legend of Atlantis?
Was Atlantis a real city?

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Today’s Wonder of the Day was inspired by bob. bob Wonders, “Is the lost city of Atlantis real?” Thanks for WONDERing with us, bob!

Have you ever heard of the lost city of Atlantis? It’s a very old story that’s been told countless times. An entire city lost to the sea. A whole culture gone overnight. It’s quite the tale!

But is it true? Was an entire city simply lost? If so, where did it go? And where is it today?

The legend of Atlantis dates back to around 360 BCE. It was first written about by the Greek philosopher Plato. According to Plato, Atlantis was a paradise. The island nation was very rich. The people there were also very powerful. They took over many parts of Western Europe and Africa around 9,600 BCE. However, the people of Atlantis became greedy. This led to their downfall.

So where was Atlantis? Plato gave only one clue to the city’s location. He wrote that it sat “in front of the Pillars of Hercules.” This places the city near the Strait of Gibraltar at the western edge of the Mediterranean Sea. Plato wrote that Atlantis tried and failed to invade Athens, Greece. Afterward, it sank into the ocean “in a single day and night of misfortune.”

Did Atlantis fall victim to a natural disaster? Could it have been a volcanic eruption? An earthquake? Or did the city never exist at all? Past experts believed Plato’s account was based on legend. Today, though, some think that Atlantis may have been a real place.

However, they still don’t know exactly where it was. Most people think it was near the Mediterranean Sea. Others believe the city was near the Caribbean. Some even think it was under Antarctica!

In 2011, Professor Richard Freund identified another possible location. He pointed to the marshlands of the Doñana National Park in Spain. He claimed Atlantis could have been wiped out by a tsunami. Experts have used advanced tools like radar to study the site. However, it’s unclear whether Atlantis has truly been found.

Do you believe in Atlantis? Or do you think it’s just an interesting story? It’s the topic of many science fiction movies and books today. However, we may never know whether it ever actually existed. And so the mystery lives on!

Standards: CCRA.L.3, CCRA.L.6, CCRA.R.1, CCRA.R.2, CCRA.R.4, CCRA.R.10, CCRA.W.1, CCRA.W.3, CCRA.W.7, CCRA.W.8, CCRA.W.9, CCRA.L.1, CCRA.L.2, CCRA.SL.1, CCRA.SL.2

Wonder What's Next?

We hope tomorrow's Wonder of the Day suits you just fine!

Try It Out

Are you ready to search for Atlantis?Find an adult friend or family member to help you try out some of these activities!

What if Atlantis isn't really lost at all? What if it's hiding? What if Plato's writings were just the first step in a clever plan to help the people of Atlantis vanish from society? Put on your imagination cap and do some creative thinking today. Pretend you're a citizen of modern-day Atlantis. Yes, it does really exist and you're a descendant of the people who first went into hiding hundreds and hundreds of years ago.Write a short story that explains how you go about your day-to-day life as a member of a super-secret, hidden society that explorers from around the world and throughout time have been searching for in vain.
Learn more about the legend of Atlantis. Then, share what you learned with a friend or family member. What were the most interesting new facts you learned?
Do you believe Atlantis is real?Ask a friend or family member to help you search for more information before you make up your mind. Then, write a paragraph supporting your opinion. What evidence is there for your stance?