The mythical island of Atlantis was located close to the west coast of Africa - and was not submerged as widely supposed but is still there above the waves, an Italian researcher believes.
Marcello Cosci, former head of Siena University's archaeological photo-interpretation department, says the latest satellite imagery indicates ancient Atlantis is the present-day island of Sherbro, off the West African country Sierra Leone.
"I've been poring over satellite images for the last three years, island by island, using GoogleMap and Quickbird," says Cosci, whose findings will be presented here on Wednesday in book form.
The Italian expert argues that Sherbro has key features that crop up in ancient descriptions of Atlantis, including three ditches around the long-lost citadel, a canal that bisects the island and traces of hill dwellings.
Sherbro, which measures 51 kilometres (32 miles) by 24km (15m), is part of Sierra Leone, separated from the mainland only by a river and a strait. Although its main industries are rice farming and fishing, it has miles of tropical beaches and has been earmarked for tourist development.
Neither the location nor the existence of Atlantis have ever been confirmed.
The first documented mention of the island dates back to ancient Greek philosopher Plato - circa 427-347 BC - who said it was destroyed by a natural disaster, possibly a tsunami.
People have tended to believe Atlantis was somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean because Plato said it was beyond the Pillars of Hercules, today's Strait of Gibraltar.
Although Plato dated Atlantis to 9,000 years before his time, many historians think he meant 900 years, basing their judgments on his descriptions of the writing and bronze to be found on the island.
Most hypothetical placements of Atlantis have put it much farther out into the Atlantic than where Cosci puts it in his new book.
Another recent Italian study went against the flow entirely and said the most likely candidate for the fabled isle was Sardinia.
