History Main / TravelingLandmass

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'': [[FloatingContinent Angel Island moves through the sky]], [[AllThereInTheManual and the original Japanese manuals say]] that the sea-bound island of the first game also moves around.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

[[folder:Web Original]]

* TruthInTelevision: Continental drift. It's just so slow only geologists notice. Australia, the ''fastest''-drifting continent, moves only 2.7 inches per year. As a consequence, island ''chains'' can appear to "travel" as the suboceanic crust slides across "hot spots" beneath the seabed. Individual islands erode away as new ones crop up from volcanic activity, but the overall effect is a continual conveyor-belt "flow" of islands spread out in whichever direction the seabed is moving. UsefulNotes/{{Hawaii}} is the most famous example.

See also TheLittleShopThatWasntThereYesterday. Supertrope of FloatingContinent.

[[folder:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]

* Myth/ClassicalMythology" Greek myth has the floating island of Delos, birthplace of Apollo and Artemis. Their mother, Leto, had been cursed by Hera to be unable to give birth anywhere on land or on any island, with the wording in ancient Greek specifying "firm land" or "solid land"; as such she was only able to give birth once she reached Delos, which as a floating raft of land did not count as land for the purposes of the curse. Delos was later anchored to the seabed with four pillars, rooting it in place and transforming it into [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delos the stable island it is in the modern day]].

** The island of Leshp from ''Literature/{{Jingo}}'' which is a giant pumice dome that gets filled up with gas, rises to the surface, floats around a bit, then sinks again every couple of hundred years after causing a war or two.

* Astrophysicists now suspect that there may be stray ''planets'' wandering around in interstellar space, which were pulled out of their orbits when another star passed near their own.

* The second NonSerialMovie of the anime adaptation of ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' revolves around Togenkyo, an island dominated by a mountain-sized peach tree that floats freely in the Pacific Ocean, with vague suggestions that its residents can at least loosely steer it. The fact it floats isn't even the most remarkable feature of the island; that would be the magical spring on it which [[BalefulPolymorph transforms whatever it touches into a human man]]. Unfortunately, contamination of the island's waters by this particular spring means that [[SingleSexOffspring women who reside there can only give birth to sons]], forcing the natives to kidnap brides from foreign shores when they come of age.

* One of these shows up in ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive''; the inhabitants of a deep ocean live on the backs of gigantic tortoise-like creatures that walk the ocean, making them hard to find.

* ''Literature/MalazanBookOfTheFallen'': The island of Drift Avalii is drifting across the ocean and one would have to know its route to find it. There used to trade between it and the Malazan Empire, but all the trade ships were lost and the island and its inhabitants were forgotten, which -- as far as the latter ones are concerned -- may be for the best, because Drift Avalii houses the Throne of Shadow, the possessor of which would [[CastingAShadow have power over the Shadowrealm]]. It was put there to be out of everyone's reach in the first place, after all.

* ''Literature/TheVoyagesOfDoctorDolittle'': Spider Monkey Island. Explained as a freak volcanic bubble during island formation creating a huge air pocket to serve as a float. When the rock at the top of the volcano drops down it punches a hole in the bottom to fix the island in place.

** The Air Garden gets you access to last couple Chocobo treasure maps, the optional super-tough side boss Ozma (but not the ability to HIT it with attacks, that's a whole other side quest), and the most difficult but most rewarding area to play the treasure hunt minigame (helpful if one is trying to pick up some of the semi-unique rewards).

* ''VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire'': Mirage Island does not move around, ''per se'' -- when it's found, it's always in the same spot -- but it tends to drift in an out of existence, appearing and disappearing on a random basis.

* ''Webcomic/TowerOfGod'': The forest wherein walkhaiksong HQ is located can be transported as Urek Mazino's SpaceCompression power. Multiple shineuh (heavenly god fish which look like space whales are speculated to be this trope. The sea cow on the 21st floor was able to contain [[spoiler: Urek for long enough a time for him to be deemed a problem on the floor]]. Since TOG is such an expansive universe it's been said that there could be islands like this.

* ''VideoGame/PapeMario64'': One NPC thinks he's seeing one off the docks of Toad Town, as one day it's pretty far away and the next it's right next to the docks. It turns out to be a whale who requests Mario's help.

* 'VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'': [[FloatingContinent Angel Island moves through the sky]], [[AllThereInTheManual and the original Japanese manuals say]] that the sea-bound island of the first game also moves around.

See also TheLittleShopThatWasntThereYesterday and TurtleIsland. Supertrope of FloatingContinent.

* The Shimaru homeland in ''Manga/FutabaKunChange'', which floats around because it is really [[spoiler: a crashed spaceship that let the moss grow on the hull]] a bit over the years.
* There are many examples in ''Manga/OnePiece''. Most are sky islands and would thus belong to FloatingContinent, but there are a few on the ocean surface too:

* Professor Semo's island base in the Mexican ''ComicBook/{{Fantomas}}'' comic book series.
* Creator/MarvelComics has Krakoa, ''The Island that Walks Like a Man!!!'' And to a certain extent Spragg, the Living Hill.
* ''ComicBook/JusticeLeagueInternational'': [[ComicBook/BlueBeetle Kooey]] [[ComicBook/BoosterGold Kooey]] Kooey isn't ''always'' on the move, but sometimes it decides to wander for a bit.
* The Doom Patrol is allies with Danny the Street, a sentient talking mobile transvestite street, able to move from city to city, including at one point getting the team into the "city-like" base underneath the Pentagon.

[[folder:Film]]
* Seastar Island from the 1967 ''Film/DoctorDolittle'' movie.

[[folder:Folklore and Mythology]]
* [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Greek myth]] has the floating island of Delos, birthplace of Apollo and Artemis. Their mother, Leto, had been cursed by Hera to be unable to give birth anywhere on land or on any island, with the wording in ancient Greek specifying "firm land" or "solid land"; as such she was only able to give birth once she reached Delos, which as a floating raft of land did not count as land for the purposes of the curse. Delos was later anchored to the seabed with four pillars, rooting it in place and transforming it into [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delos the stable island it is in the modern day]].
[[/folder]]

* Quofum, a planet in the ''Literature/HumanxCommonwealth'' universe, has an annoying habit of not being there when one goes to look for it. It turns out that the entire planet is some kind of dimension-hopping starship.
* ''Literature/OliverAndTheSeawigs'' has a whole species of walking islands, which travel upon the ocean floor. Oliver goes looking for his parents with one that he names Cliff.
* In ''Literature/TheWitchesOfKarres'', the titular planet is one of these. The residents like it that way.
** The residents control where it goes.
* The 51st state of Ar, or Hoqhoq as they prefer to be known, according to [[Literature/TheAreasOfMyExpertise John Hodgman]]. It's inhabited by shapeshifting thunderbirds.

* Spider Monkey Island from ''Literature/TheVoyagesOfDoctorDolittle''. Explained as a freak volcanic bubble during island formation creating a huge air pocket to serve as a float. When the rock at the top of the volcano drops down it punches a hole in the bottom to fix the island in place.
* The Children's Book ''Dinosaurus Klex'' takes place on two floating islands that broke from the ancient supercontinents Gondwanaland and Laurasia. On the islands, time flows differently, which is why today, dinosaur prince Klex is still searching for his princess on his adventures. The floating islands are steerable in a limited way, and are naturally inhabited by dinosaurs and extinct/endangered species.
* In the ''Literature/MalazanBookOfTheFallen'', the island of Drift Avalii is drifting across the ocean and one would have to know its route to find it. There used to trade between it and the Malazan Empire, but all the trade ships were lost and the island and its inhabitants were forgotten, which -- as far as the latter ones are concerned -- may be for the best, because Drift Avalii houses the Throne of Shadow, the possessor of which would [[CastingAShadow have power over the Shadowrealm]]. It was put there to be out of everyone's reach in the first place, after all.

* The Island from ''Series/{{Lost}}'' is constantly moving, thanks to a strange pocket of mystical energy.

* The island of Destral, home base to the [[EvilutionaryBiologist Brotherhood of Makuta]], in ''Toys/{{BIONICLE}}''. It moves due to utilizing dimensional portals.

* Mirage Island from ''VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire''/''Emerald''.
* The island in ''VideoGame/TalesOfLegendia'', although it turned out to be [[spoiler: an alien spaceship.]]
* The "Chocobo's Air Garden" in VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX will hover over 1 of 6 random locations on the world map. Once you've been there, its current location can be found on the player's map, but before that it's identifiable by the circular shadow on the ground beneath it (hard to spot if it's over water). Getting there the first time requires the player to dig up all 6 pieces of the map to the island (which is really just a series of clues to the locations it might be found) by playing the Chocobo Treasure Hunt Mini-game and leveling up the Chocobo's abilities so that it is able to fly AND the use of a Dead Pepper every time the player wants to return to the Garden.

* Though most remember [[FloatingContinent Angel Island]] from the ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' series, [[AllThereInTheManual the original Japanese manuals say]] that the (sea-bound) island of the first game also moved around.
* One NPC in ''VideoGame/PapeMario64'' thinks he's seeing one off the docks of Toad Town, as one day it's pretty far away, and the next, it's right next to the docks. It turns out to be a whale who requests Mario's help.

* In ''Webcomic/TowerOfGod TOG'' the forest wherein walkhaiksong HQ is located can be transported as Urek Mazino's SpaceCompression power. Multiple shineuh (heavenly god fish which look like space whales are speculated to be this trope. The sea cow on the 21st floor was able to contain [[spoiler: Urek for long enough a time for him to be deemed a problem on the floor]]. Since TOG is such an expansive universe it's been said that there could be islands like this.

* Lutari Island in {{Website/Neopets}}.
* This is the official explanation for how [[PlayerCharacter Nations]] can move between [[GamingClan Regions]] in ''Website/NationStates''. It is given all of one line about entire nations being airlifted by helicopters and is PlayedForLaughs when it is mentioned at all.

* [[spoiler:Candied Island]] in ''WesternAnimation/TheMarvelousMisadventuresOfFlapjack''.
* A Saturday morning cartoon called ''WesternAnimation/NoahsIsland''; a polar bear called Noah travels around the world on a floating volcanic island, picking up lost, ostracised and endangered animals and trying to get them to live in harmony. ''WesternAnimation/TheAnimalsOfFarthingWood'' [[JustForFun/XMeetsY meets]] [[Literature/TheBible Noah's Ark]] [[RecycledInSpace on a mobile island!]]
** Also noteworthy as rare example of this trope that can be steered to a limited extent, using a sort of BambooTechnology thruster system powered by the huge pool of molten lava in the centre of the island, which was left by the meteor that's responsible for it breaking off from a larger landmass in the manner of an iceberg. Well, it makes about as much sense as the rest of the show's premise.

* TruthInTelevision: Continental drift. It's just so slow only geologists notice. Australia, the ''fastest''-drifting continent, moves only 2.7 inches per year.
** As a consequence, island ''chains'' can appear to "travel" as the suboceanic crust slides across "hot spots" beneath the seabed. Individual islands erode away as new ones crop up from volcanic activity, but the overall effect is a continual conveyor-belt "flow" of islands spread out in whichever direction the seabed is moving. UsefulNotes/{{Hawaii}} is the most famous example.

* Phantom islands - islands which were reported to exist on maps, but which don't exist - have been noted for centuries. While most of these vanished by the early 20th century, Sandy Island, a purported possession of France, persisted until the 1970s, when it was noted by the French to be nonexistent. However, it had been entered into the World Vector Shoreline Database, and because that database was frequently used by scientists, it persisted in numerous maps into the 21st century. In 2012, an Australian ship sailed through the purported position of the nonexistent island and submitted new data. The island was then stricken from all maps and the various databases which it had been entered into. The nonexistent island had persisted on maps long after satellite imagery revealed there to be no island at that location.
** There as still at least two left, namely Sefton Reef and Yosemite Rock, both near Robinson Crusoe Island. The US Department of Defense lists them as "Existence doubtful" on their Operational Navigation Chart. It should also be noted that some Phantom islands may actually have existed when they were discovered, but later ended up being submerged due to tectonic movements or volcanic activity.
* Pumice rafts are large rafts of pumice produced by seaside and undersea volcanoes. As pumice is less dense than water, it floats, and can form large, temporary floating islands before they break up in the ocean. The largest recorded raft was 30 miles wide and 300 miles long.
** Tying into phantom islands, it is currently believed that the aforementioned Sandy Island may have actually been a pumice raft that was mistaken for an actual island.

** The island of Leshp from ''Discworld/{{Jingo}}'' which is a giant pumice dome that gets filled up with gas, rises to the surface, floats around a bit, then sinks again every couple of hundred years after causing a war or two.
** The official explanation (in the ''Discworld Companion'') for some discrepancies about Chimeria (originally said to be the home of Hrun the Barbarian in ''Discworld/TheColourOfMagic'', so probably near the Hub; mentioned in ''Jingo'' as one of the Klatchian countries; and shown on the Mapp as being near Llamados) is that it wanders about a bit.

* Though most remember [[FloatingContinent Angel Island]] from the ''SonicTheHedgehog'' series, [[AllThereInTheManual the original Japanese manuals say]] that the (sea-bound) island of the first game also moved around.

** Zou is notoriously difficult to find and moves around too much to be charted on any maps. [[ExploitedTrope Exploited]] by the Minks, a civilization of PettingZooPeople who live on Zou ''because'' Zou moves around and thus they can stay away from the people who would persecute them. Minks instinctively know where to find this place, and being a Mink or consulting one are the only reliable ways to reach it. Zou turns out to be an example of TurtleIsland, however, as the island is actually a colossal elephant walking along the ocean floor with his back above the surface. He has been given orders centuries ago to never stop moving and never go near any other populated landmass, which is why Zou is near impossible to locate. [[spoiler:He also had orders to never attack anyone, which were rescinded when the elephant comes under attack and Mononosuke, discovering he can give commands, orders the elephant to defend himself.]]

* [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Greek myth]] gives us the floating island of Delos, birthplace of Apollo and Artemis.

** Zou is notoriously difficult to find and moves around too much to be charted on any maps. [[ExploitedTrope Exploited]] by the Minks, a civilization of PettingZooPeople who live on Zou ''because'' Zou moves around and thus they can stay away from the people who would persecute them. Minks instinctively know where to find this place, and being a Mink or consulting one are the only reliable ways to reach it. Zou turns out to be an example of TurtleIsland, however, as the island is actually a colossal elephant walking along the ocean floor with his back above the surface. He has been given orders centuries ago to never stop moving and never go near any normal landmasses. [[spoiler:He also had orders to never attack anyone, which were rescinded when the elephant comes under attack and Mononosuke, discovering he can give commands, orders the elephant to defend himself.]]

** As a consequence, island ''chains'' can appear to "travel" as the suboceanic crust slides across "hot spots" beneath the seabed. Individual islands erode away as new ones crop up from volcanic activity, but the overall effect is a continual conveyor-belt "flow" of islands spread out in whichever direction the seabed is moving. UsefulNotes/Hawaii is the most famous example.

* The Shimaru homeland in ''Manga/FutabaKunChange'', which floats around because it is really [[spoiler: a crashed spaceship that let the moss grow on the hull]] a bit over the years

** As a consequence, island ''chains'' can appear to "travel" as the suboceanic crust slides across "hot spots" beneath the seabed. Individual islands erode away as new ones crop up from volcanic activity, but the overall effect is a continual conveyor-belt "flow" of islands spread out in whichever direction the seabed is moving.

See also TheLittleShopThatWasntThereYesterday. Supertrope of FloatingContinent.

* The "Chocobo's Air Garden" in VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX will hover over 1 of 6 random locations on the world map. Once you've been there, it's current location can be found on the player's map, but before that it's identifiable by the circular shadow on the ground beneath it (hard to spot if it's over water). Getting there the first time requires the player to dig up all 6 pieces of the map to the island (which is really just a series of clues to the locations it might be found) by playing the Chocobo Treasure Hunt Mini-game and leveling up the Chocobo's abilities so that it is able to fly AND the use of a Dead Pepper every time the player wants to return to the Garden.

* TruthInTelevision: Continental drift. It's just so slow only geologists notice.