Geoscientists have recently discovered a continent that had been hidden in plain sight for almost 375 years. This continent, known as Zealandia or Te Riu-a-Māui in the Māori language, is approximately 1.89 million square miles in size. It was once part of the supercontinent Gondwana, which existed over 500 million years ago and included Western Antarctica and Eastern Australia.
In 1642, Dutch businessman and sailor Abel Tasman attempted to find the “Great Southern Continent” and came across Zealandia. Although he didn’t locate the new land, he obtained valuable information from the local Māori people about the existence of a large landmass to the east. It wasn’t until 2017 that geologists confirmed Zealandia’s existence, noting that it had been hiding in plain sight all this time.
Scientists are still trying to understand the reasons behind Zealandia’s separation from Gondwana. Nick Mortimer, who led the study confirming Zealandia’s existence, humorously remarked on the uniqueness of the continent, with only three territories residing on it. The discovery of Zealandia serves as a fascinating reminder of the mysteries that our planet still holds.
