A Sixteenth-Century Discovery of the Tiwi Islands: Real Evidence or Wishful Thinking?

Inconsistent, non-standardized spelling, multiple languages, transcription errors, and misinformation are among the numerous challenges to correctly identifying geographic locations on early modern maps. This article draws attention to sixteenth-century cartographic errors and challenges modern identifications of several islands in the southern sea, arguing that a successful case for early discovery of the Tiwi Islands off the northern coast of Australia has not yet been made.