Satellite images and video footage of an ancient, long-lost city located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean has sparked a number of theories that the mythical city/continent of Atlantis may in fact be real.

Thanks to satellite images and a number of tools available to archaeologists, experts can now fully explore the lost city of Nan Madol and its structural marvels like never before.

While scholars have known about Nan Madol for quite some time, a new episode from Science Channel’s ‘What on Earth’ series has revealed new aerial footage of the ancient city which was built on top of a lagoon.

Due to the fact that a number of tidal canals separate Nan Madol, and that the city protected from the ocean that surrounds it by as many as 12 sea-walls, it is often referred to as the ‘Venice of the Pacific,’ although many love to call it the lost city of Atlantis, due to several prominent features which according to many, resemble the description of Atlantis.

Speaking for What on Earth, Mark McCoy, who led the team of researchers who investigated the ancient city for the Science Chanel’s series said:

“It now looks like Nan Madol represents a first in Pacific Island history. To me, in its prime, Nan Madol was a capital. It was the seat of political power, the center of the most important religious rituals, and the place where the former chiefs of the island were laid to rest.”

Nan Madol was created by the Saudeleur dynasty who spent several centuries creating the erecting the stone structures which remain in existence on 92 artificial islands on a lagoon off the coast of the island of Pohnpei.

Considered an engineering marvel, the city of Nan Madol was the capital of the Saudeleur dynasty until about 1628.

As noted by the Smithsonian Institute, the sheer amount of structures that make up the city of Nan Madol feature more than 750,000 tons of black rock.

According to experts, the ancient builders of the city moved around 1850 tonnes each year, despite the fact that they only had a population of 30,00 people.

It is considered a marvel of engineering as the ancient builders literally terraformed their environment, and managed to erect the buildings without the use of pulleys and levers.

The city was discovered in 1928, and appeared in H P Lovecraft work, the fictional city of R’lyeh, from his story The Call of Cthulhu.

Nan Madol—The Atlantis from the Pacific?

Despite the fact that many refer to it as Atlantis of the Pacific, Nan Madol was an ancient wonder of its own, and we should not take away its pride by comparing it to mythological city/continent which according to Plato, wasn’t anywhere near where Nan Madol exists today.

The ancient builders of Nan Madol were true engineering experts who managed to erect one of the most mystifying ancient cities on the planet without the use of modern technologies.

The site core with its stone walls encloses an area approximately 1.5 km long by 0.5 km wide, and it contains nearly 100 artificial islets—stone and coral fill platforms—bordered by tidal canals.

So let’s show some respect to Nan Madol and its ingenious ancient builders.