Thule (,
Thoúle) was a far-northern location in classical
European literature and cartography. Though often considered to be an island in antiquity, modern interpretations of what was meant by
Thule often identify it as
Norway, an identification supported by modern calculations. Other interpretations include
Orkney,
Shetland, and
Scandinavia. In the Late Middle Ages and Renaissance, Thule was often identified as
Iceland or
Greenland. Another suggested location is
Saaremaa in the
Baltic Sea. The term
ultima Thule in medieval geographies denotes any distant place located beyond the "borders of the known world". Sometimes it is used as a proper noun (
Ultima Thule) as the
Latin name for Greenland when
Thule is used for Iceland.