Earth has got a new continent - and it’s called ‘Zealandia’

At school, we learn that there are seven continents: Africa, Asia, Antarctica, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America.

But there might be a new one to add to the list: ‘Zealandia’.

Researchers behind a new paper from GNS Science (New Zealand’s geoscience agency) have put forward evidence of the new continent – which is 94% submerged.

Islands such as New Zealand and New Caledonia form part of the continent, which is a three million square mile region in the southwest Pacific.

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The islands are connected by ‘submerged continental crust across a large area of Earth’s surface’, the researchers write – hence it qualifies as a separate continent.

‘This is not a sudden discovery but a gradual realisation; as recently as 10 years ago we would not have had the accumulated data or confidence in interpretation to write this paper,’ the researchers write.

Bruce Luyendyk of the University of California, Santa Barbara said that the new continent was almost certain to be accepted as such, in an interview with Business Insider.

‘These people here are A-list earth scientists,’ he said, ‘I think they have put together a solid collection of evidence that’s really thorough. I don’t see that there’s going to be a lot of pushback, except maybe around the edges.’