Answer:
While it seemed to me that any one of these could be the location for the “Lost City of Atlantis”,
I found the information on the South China Sea to be the most compelling, so I feel this is the best candidate for the location for the following reasons:
1. The Atlantic Ocean was given its name because it is considered to be the “Ocean of the Atlanteans” by Plato – who also believed that Atlantis was located in this ocean. Because of this, any location outside of the Atlantic Ocean, including Santorini/Thera, could not be the location – though at this point, Cuba is still in the running (www.atlan.org, n.d.).
2. Plato’s description of Atlantis spoke of the large network of canals at the city’s location. He also spoke of the city as a naval power with multiple ships used for trading to other countries.
a. Due to the small size of their naval forces at the time, Atlantis could not be located in the Canaries or in Northwest Africa.
b. The Incas of Peru, while they had a strong naval fleet, they also had very little water, which eliminates them from the list of possible locations (www.atlan.org, n.d.).
3. Plato spoke of Atlantic being the home of two specific crops – rice and wheat or barley – grows abundantly in the Far East. These crops are supported by a tropical climate and an annual monsoon – much like we see in Asia today (Prassanan, n.d.).
4. Plato spoke of Atlantic having a large population, which knocks most proposed locations, including Europe, North America, North Africa and the Near East, out of the running. While the exact population of the Far East is difficult to estimate, it is estimated that Asia produced between 10 and 20 million tons of rice each year, which could easily feed a population of 15-30 million people (www.atlan.org, n.d.).
5. Plato believed that elephants were present on Atlantis. Elephants were found in great numbers in South Asia. They did not exist during the later date of the theory that asserts Thera as the location (www.atlan.org, n.d.). While none of these reasons eliminate all other possibilities, leaving the South China Sea as the only option, they do collectively eliminate the other locations and support this as the location of the Lost City of Atlantis.
Atlan.com. (n.d.). Atlantis – The Lost Continent Finally Found. Retrieved from:
http://atlan.org/articles/checklist/#checklist. Web.
Comins, N. and Kaufmann, W. (2014). Discovering the Universe (10th ed.). New York: W.H. Freeman. Print.
Prassanan, S. (n.d.). Where is Atlantis? Sundaland Fits the Bill, Surely! Retrieved from:
http://www.grahamhancock.com/archive/underworld/DrSunilAtlantis.php. Web.
Explanation:
