At about 16,000 BP the retreating ice had reached the southern shores of the present Baltic. Melt water formed extensive lacustrine systems still visible today in north Russia, Poland and Germany. By 14,600 BP the Baltic Ice Lake had come into existence. Beyond it only southern Sweden was habitable, and it was an island. 'Scandinavia' means "the island of Scandza" or "Scandia", which cannot be accounted for by today's map, and is generally assumed to be an inadvertent misrepresentation by ancient geographers. However, the first Scandinavia was an island, and was identical to southern Sweden.