Zealandia: Earth's Smallest and Youngest Continent

• 27 Sep 2023

Recently, a team of geoscientists discovered a new continent called Zealandia, which is the smallest, thinnest, and youngest continent in the world.

Key Points

• Size and Location: Zealandia is a vast continent of 1.89 million sq miles (4.9 million sq km) it is around six times the size of Madagascar.
• Zealandia is 94 per cent underwater, with just a handful of islands, similar to New Zealand.
• Geological History: The new continent was originally part of the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana, which broke up around 100 million years ago.
• Zealandia is a microcontinent, which means that it is smaller and less elevated than other continents.
• Zealandia is a tectonically active region, with many volcanoes and earthquakes.
• Scientific Significance: The discovery of Zealandia could help scientists to better understand the geological history of Earth and the formation of continents.
• Zealandia is home to a wide variety of unique plants and animals, many of which are found nowhere else on Earth.
• The discovery of Zealandia could have implications for our understanding of climate change and other global environmental challenges.