The Island
From Lostpedia
- For the smaller island off the coast of the Island, see Hydra Island.
- For specific locations on the Island, see Locations.
The Island is thus far the principal location for the events of Lost. The Island appears to have been volcanically created, as evidenced by Bernard's usage of volcanic rocks and the volcanic topography of the cove. There is a large main island and at least one smaller island known as Hydra Island.
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Location
The exact location of the Island is a mystery. The pilot said that the plane had lost radio contact before the crash and had changed course towards Fiji. They were, in his reckoning, 1000 miles off course. ("Pilot, Part 1"). Desmond believed the island a week east of Fiji at 9 knots. ("Live Together, Die Alone"). This fits with Rousseau's statement that she was 3 days out of Tahiti when she wrecked on the island. ("Solitary")
Most fan-theories place the Island in the South Pacific as well, although a minority would rather place it in the Indian Ocean.
In "Eggtown", during a flashforward, Jack claimed in his testimony at Kate's trial that the Island is, indeed, in the South Pacific.
See also: The Island/Theories
History
Little is known of the early history of the Island. There are the remains of a four-toed statue and other ruins that suggest a significant culture being present on the Island at some undetermined point in the past.
The first identifiable outside visitors to the Island would have been the sailors of the Black Rock who arrived on the Island at some point in 1882. The crew consisted of Magnus Hanso and 40 men. There were also an unknown number of slaves on the ship. The blast door map says that the remains of the ship's owner Magnus Hanso are on the Island.
The remains of two people known as Adam and Eve were found in a cave on the Island indicating a human presence at some point in the 1950s or 1960s. A group of natives, among them Richard Alpert, was still present in the second half of the 20th century.
A large new period of human activity began in the early 1970s under the leadership of the DHARMA Initiative. Construction projects occurred all over the Island. A series of isolated science stations were built along with a community-style living facility (the Barracks). Tunnels were dug under the Island along with a limited number of road projects. The Island is provided with electrical power from The Tempest and previously had a communications network.
The Island appears to be almost impossible to reach for unknown reasons by conventional navigational means. The DHARMA Initiative placed a sonar beacon near the Island which was subsequently used to guide submarines back to the Island. A French Science team attracted by radio signals from the Island arrived around 1988. The lone survivor of the team has stated that there were only Others on the Island. Her story is incomplete, confused and she has contradicted herself on occasion.
The Others and the DHARMA Initiative co-existed on the Island in some manner until an event known as the purge. This resulted in the deaths of nearly all members of the initiative. It is assumed that the purge happened sometime around 1993.
Supply drops by parachute meant for the DHARMA Initiative continue to occur on the Island.
Henry Gale's Balloon probably crashed on the island in July, 2004.
On September 22, 2004, Oceanic Flight 815 crashed on the Island, with an unusually large number of survivors.
On December 17, 2004, Naomi Dorrit parachuted onto the Island after her helicopter went down. She was later suspected by Ben to be "A representative of some people who've been trying to find this Island. She's one of the bad guys." Ben also claimed, to Mikhail, that "(The) Island is under assault by forces stronger than anything its had to deal with in many many years. And we are meant to protect it, Mikhail, by any means necessary."
Geography
The size of the Island has not yet been determined. Its diameter has been shown to be a several-days' walk, as demonstrated by the Tailies traveling to join the midsection survivors, by Kate and Sawyer's return from the Hydra Island, and by Kate, Locke, Sayid and Rousseau's journey first to The Flame and then to the barracks. With the revelation of the satellite island, it is likely that none of the Lostaways have entirely circumnavigated the Island so far. According to the scale of Danielle Rousseau's maps it is 24.0 kilometers (14.91 miles) long along one side.
The Island has many different geographical zones. There is a very distinctive coastline. It seems to be comprised mostly of beach sand, but some of it appears to be rocky and hard to maneuver, such as the cove where Kelvin kept the Elizabeth. There also appears to be steep cliff faces that drop off into the sea, such as where Dave is seen jumping away from Hurley.
The jungle and the forest seem to make up most of the interior of the Island. Although they run together, there are some differences between them. The forest appears to be more sparse with smaller trees while the jungle appears to be more dense with more overhanging vines.
On a plateau in the hills is the original Island golf course. The caves are located in these hills as well.
The cliffs can be seen on Ben's map, as well as in a few scenes. Jack is rescued by Locke from falling off a cliff.
There are mountains throughout the Island, including at least one volcano in the south. There are two main ridges, both stretching from north to south.
The valley between the mountain ridges contains rivers, streams, and waterfalls.
Open fields are common on the Island, such as where Shannon translates the distress signal, and where Hurley and Charlie ride in the DHARMA van. They seem to be mostly on hillsides and on the Mesa.
The Pascal Flats are shown on Ben's map in "Through the Looking Glass". Not much is known of this area other than it is south of the barracks and the Pearl Station, and southwest of the radio tower.
Locations
Locations on the Island have been shaped both by the actions of the DHARMA Initiative, the Others, and other various influences, be they human or supernatural.
Many of the key locations on the Island, however, are geologically derived or based. Other locations were created by the Losties or other survivors in response to certain events. For these locations, the level of mystery that surrounds them is minimal. In the order in which they are introduced, they are the following: the Camp, the Graveyard, the Caves, Rousseau's Camp, the Golf Course, the Waterfall, the Garden, the Cove, the Tiger Pit, the Church, the Sweat lodge, and Eko's grave.
DHARMA Initiative locations
The DHARMA Initiative built a series of facilities all over the Island. At one end of the Island, there are a series of science stations. The known stations are the Swan (originally a magnetic research lab), the Staff (medical station), the Arrow (supply terminal), the Flame (communications) and the Pearl (observation of the other stations). All these stations except for a warehouse portion of the Flame are buried in the ground. A Dock facility known as the Pala Ferry existed to move people between the listed stations and other facilities.
Currently in place of The Swan station there is a large gapping crater caused by the Discharge.
On Hydra Island there is the Hydra (Zoological research) station which unlike other facilities is mostly above ground.
Beneath the ocean is The Looking Glass (Purpose unknown) that was capable of selectively blocking radio signals from leaving the Island. The Looking Glass is connected to the Island by the cable on the beach.
There is a large Radio Tower built by the DHARMA initiative. The radio tower is designed to broadcast signals in a continuous loop over long distances.
Elsewhere to the north on the Island is an above-ground set of houses with electrical power and water surrounded by a Sonar Fence. This facility is known as the Barracks.
On the western coast around a days walk north of the survivor's camp is The Tempest, Which was purported by Juliet to be an electrical station, but turned out to also be a chemical weapons development station.
Other locations
Other locations incorporate a moderate level of mythology. It is possible to speculate the origins of these locations, such that its level of mystery on the Island is elevated above the geographical and Losties-made locations, but not unsurpassed on the Island. These locations are the following, in the order in which they are introduced: the Decoy Village, the Door, the capsule dump, the Quarry, and Alex's hideout.
A few locations on the Island are still shrouded in mystery. These locations were made by either previous inhabitants of the Island, other known current inhabitants, or the DHARMA Initiative, but in all cases their origins and meanings cannot be clarified at this point. In the order in which they were introduced, they are the following: the Dark Territory, the rope bridge, the Black Rock, the four-toed statue, the ruins, Jacob's cabin, and the temple.
Flora and fauna
Among the vegetation are fruit-bearing mango, papaya, and guava plants. There are also bananas, passion fruit, coconuts and some star fruit up on the hill. ("Hearts and Minds")
Native animals witnessed by the survivors are wild chicken, bees, tree frogs and poisonous spiders. From the sea, various types of fish and shellfish have proven useful for sustenance. Sun gave Jack the needle of a sea urchin for Boone's transfusion. The Island is also in the path of tagged migratory seagulls.
The Island has a number of animal species not native to the South Seas including boars. Some non-native animals make individual appearances on the Island, such as a black horse, Mikhail's cat Nadia, and a domesticated(?) dove. The Others also kept cattle at the Flame and Bea Klugh had a horse.
The DHARMA Initiative brought certain non-native animals such as polar bears to Hydra Island where the animals were modified to an unknown degree. During the Purge, the polar bears got free and made their way to the main Island. A shark experimental subject of the Initiative has been seen at sea and it has been established that dolphins were also used.
See also: Food
Navigational difficulties
Various anomalous phenomena exist around the Island that complicate the ability to navigate around and away from the Island. The unique magnetic properties of the Island were first encountered by the survivors when Sayid's examination of Locke's compass showed a significant local deviation in bearings. Desmond's attempt to leave the Island by sailing due west was futile, as he ended up sailing in circles and back to the Island. Upon learning of the survivors' possession of a sailboat, Juliet shows knowledge of the difficulty of leaving, commenting, "sailing in circles will keep them busy". Michael was given instructions by Ben to follow a bearing of 325 from Pala Ferry to reach shipping lanes and find rescue.
The unusual behavior of ocean currents seem to play a role in navigational difficulties, as evidenced when Michael and Sawyer floated back to the Island on pieces of the raft, after it was destroyed by the Others. Unusual tides may also play a part in navigation problems. The tides on the Island rose dramatically on the beach in October of 2004, and seem to have remained at the level reached ever since.
According to Locke, Christian told him that the island can be moved.
Volcanic activity
There is at least one volcano on the Island. In "The Man Behind the Curtain", Olivia mentions about how the Island "a long time ago" had volcanic reactions occurring, suggesting it is at this point in time dormant or extinct.
There are several visual clues to the Island being volcanic, including:
- The general topography of the Island as seen from a distance is that of a typical volcanic island.
- The word crater is seen on Rousseau's map.
- Lava-formed coastlines are apparent.
- The black rocks seem to be of volcanic origin.
- The Barracks appear to sit in a crater-like formation. ("A Tale of Two Cities")
- The powdery substance surrounding Jacob's cabin, and seen in his chair, may be volcanic ash.
Other clues include the fact the powersource for the Swan was geothermal in nature (or surmised by Jack and Sayid). While volcanic activity is not required for geothermal power, it makes tapping into it much easier.
On the DVD commentary track for "The Man Behind the Curtain" Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse point out the Easter egg when Olivia demonstrates the volcano model in the DHARMA Initiative schoolroom. The producers stated that the volcano on the Island will be "less important than Annie but still seismic."
- See also: The Monster#Cerberus
Healing and life-extending properties
The Island (or something on the Island) may have healing powers that cure at least some inhabitants of long-term ailments and speed recovery from mild to moderate wounds.
The island or something on it may also have life-extending properties, as longterm resident Richard Alpert seems to age very slowly if at all.
Trivia
- Locke claims to have looked "into the eye of this Island, and what I saw... was beautiful." ("White Rabbit") In "Exodus, Part 2", he is pulled by the Monster to a hole in the ground, ironically what could be "the eye of this Island".
- The events described in "Whatever the Case May Be" concerning the Island tide changes were planned by the directors only because they wanted to get rid of the fuselage (previously they had to bring the whole thing back and forth every time they had to shoot a scene; see Season 1 DVD for more information). However, the practical reason could easily have been incorporated into the show narrative by the writers.
Nicknames
The only official name given by the writers to the Island so far is "The Eyeland". This is also the name of a song on the official soundtrack.
The survivors have various different nicknames for the Island and some of its geographical features:
- "Heart of Darkness" - Jack
- "Craphole Island" - Shannon
- "Mystery Frickin' Island" - Shannon
- "Mount Vesuvius" - Sawyer
- "The Magical Forest" - Sawyer
- "Rape Caves" - Shannon
- "Monkey Island" - Sawyer
Unanswered questions
| Unanswered questions |
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- For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: The Island/Theories
- Who has inhabited the Island?
- Does the Island have a name?
- Where is the Island?
- How is the Island hidden from the rest of the world?
- Has it always been hidden from the world?
- How did the DHARMA Initiative find it?
- How did Charles Widmore find it?
- How has Ben hidden the Island again after Widmore found it?
- What is the source of the Island's apparent healing properties?
- Why didn't the Island heal Ben's tumor?
- How was the Island navigated to before the beacon was installed?
- Why is this Island so important that the Others are ready to die for protecting it?
- Why was there a 31-minute, 18-second delay between when Regina thought the payload reached the Island and when it actually did, but no apparent delay between electromagnetic communication as, for example, in satellite phone conversations?
- Why is it necessary to travel through certain bearings to get to and from the Island?
- How can the Island move to other places?
- Does the Island have to power to resurrect the dead?
See also
- Sri Lanka Video - First part of video contains direct information about the Island
- Portal:Locations
- Map - Disambiguation page for various maps regarding the Island
- Flight path of Oceanic 815
- Island in Google Maps
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| "Adam & Eve" • Black Rock • DHARMA • Monster • Numbers • The Island • Sickness • Four-Toed Statue • Whispers • Quarantine | ||||||
