An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

A dark triangular plateau near the Martian equator, located in the boundary between the northern lowlands and southern highlands of Mars. Syrtis Major is centered near at 8.4°N 69.5°E, extends some 1,500 km north from the planet’s equator, and spans 1,000 from west to east.

See also: From the classical Roman name Syrtis maior “the Gulf of Sidra” on the coast of Cyrenaica (today Libya)