Null Island Goes from Internet Joke to Real-World Cruise Stop

Null Island at 0°N, 0°E is a fictional GIS placeholder born from missing data that became an internet joke; in recent years a few cruise itineraries have added a 'stop' there with certificates and photos of the open ocean, turning a mapping quirk into a travel myth. Viking ships visited 0,0 in 2024–25 and Holland America has announced a 2028 world voyage stop, underscoring how maps shape our sense of place and the data quality issues that underlie them.