Data released in September reveals new insights about the long-lost eighth continent of the world, Zealandia, which was sought after for almost 375 years before its discovery in 2017.
The discovery of Zealandia was made by a small group of international scientists from the fields of geology and seismology, who published their results in the journal Tectonics in early September. Roughly 94 percent of the continent is under the ocean, while the remaining six percent makes up New Zealand and its surrounding islands.
The continent spans an estimated 1.89 million square miles, making it the world’s smallest by far. “This is an example of how something very obvious can take a while to uncover,” research team member Andy Tulloch told BBC.
Did you know there was an eighth continent?
It’s called Zealandia – or Te Riu-a-Māui in the Māori language – with roughly 95% of it lying below the ocean. The most recognisable land mass on the continent is the country of New Zealand.
Zealandia was finally discovered in 2017,… pic.twitter.com/TCnHHd48gl
— Ben (@BenNderituM) September 26, 2023
Zealandia was first hypothesized in 1642 by Abel Tasman, a Dutch sailor who wanted to find the final continent, but it would take almost 400 years for mainstream scientists to validate what Tasman knew to be true. (RELATED: Scientists Find Heat-Emitting Blob On The Far Side Of The Moon)
It’s so strange that BBC ignores the plethora of evidence that many past continents likely existed and were part of our ancient history as a species. But then again, control and ignorance-derived knowledge loss over the last thousand or more years isn’t all that surprising when you consider the people we’ve allowed to lead us throughout these centuries.