Laputa

Laputa ləˈpuːtə is a flying island described in the 1726 book Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift. It is about in diameter, with an adamantine base, which its inhabitants can manoeuvre in any direction using magnetic levitation. The island is the home of the king of Balnibarbi and his court, and is used by the king to enforce his rule over the lands below. Laputa was located above the realm of Balnibarbi, which was ruled by its king from the flying island. Gulliver states the island flew by the “magnetic virtue” of certain minerals in the grounds of Balnibarbi which did not extend to more than above, and beyond the extent of the kingdom, showing the limit of its range. The position of the island, and the realm below, is some five days' journey south-south-east of Gulliver's last known position, 46° N, 183° E (i.e. east of Japan, south of the Aleutian Islands) down a chain of small rocky islands. The island of Laputa is described as being exactly circular and about in diameter, giving an area of roughly . The island was thick, and comprised a bottom plate of adamant thick, above which lay "the several minerals in their usual order", topped with "a coat of rich mould deep". In shape the upper surface sloped down from circumference to centre, causing all rain to form rivulets into the centre where four large basins in circuit lie from the absolute centre. In the centre of the island itself was a chasm 50 yards in diameter continuing down into a dome extending into the adamantine surface. This dome served as an astronomical observatory, and also contained the lodestone which enabled the island to fly and move above the realm. Laputa's population consists mainly of an educated elite, who are fond of mathematics, astronomy, music and technology, but fail to make practical use of their knowledge. Servants make up the rest of the population. The Laputans have mastered magnetic levitation. They also are very fond of astronomy, and discovered two moons of Mars. (This is 151 years earlier than the recognized discovery of the two moons of Mars by Asaph Hall in 1877.