In 1832, a volcanic island surfaced near Mount Etna, 30 kilometres off the coast of Sicily. Naturally, the discovery inspired months of international territorial disputes between Britain, France, Spain and the Two Sicilies.
Many disputants were clearly miffed when King Ferdinand II claimed the island for Sicily, naming it "Ferdinandea". They were less miffed, when, six months later, Ferdinandea disappeared from sight again beneath the Mediterranean Sea.
[In 2003, with Etna threatening to erupt again, Sicilian divers, hoping to claim Ferdinandea once again, planted a flag on the rock even though it was still submerged eight metres beneath the surface!]
Sources
Discovery Canada (exn.ca), Nov. 27, 2002
