What Does The Island Mean In The Tempest?

There are different views as to what exactly is meant by the island in the Tempest. In the play it is where the sorcerer or magus Prospero and his daughter Miranda had been stranded after his jealous brother had deposed him and left him adrift with his daughter with the collusion of the King of Naples. It is not known which island Shakespeare is referring to.  If considered geographically the island could have been either Corfu or Pantalaria in the Mediterranean. This could be plausible since the Duke Prospero's ship is wreaked on its way to Naples. Other sources suggest that Shakespeare may have been inspired by what he had read. There was a report of a real life shipwreck in the Bermudas by William Starchey in 1609. It could also have come into Shakespeare's mind from the account of the shipwreck on Malta of St. Paul.