Discovering Zealandia: The Hidden Continent That Was Right Under Our Nose

In a groundbreaking discovery, geoscientists have uncovered the existence of a hidden continent that has been a subject of speculation for nearly 375 years. Known as Zealandia or Te Riu-a-Māui in the Māori language, this continent is approximately 1.89 million square miles in size and was once part of the supercontinent Gondwana over 500 million years ago.

Although Abel Tasman, a Dutch businessman and sailor, was the first to mention the existence of Zealandia in 1642 while searching for the “Great Southern Continent”, it was not until 2017 that geologists confirmed its existence. Nick Mortimer, who led the study at the Zealand Crown Research Institute GNS Science, described the discovery as “kind of cool” and noted that unlike other continents, Zealandia has only three territories.

The uncovering of Zealandia serves as an example of how something “very obvious” can remain hidden for an extended period before being revealed. Scientists are amazed at how a continent as large as Zealandia managed to escape notice for so long, sparking further research and exploration into its geological history.