Say hello to ‘Zealandia’, Earth’s newest continent

While you were sleeping, a new continent was found on Earth, bringing the total to eight on the planet.

“Zealandia” is a continent that is 94 percent submerged underwater, which is why it took so long for geologists to identify it. The 6 percent that is above water comprises what many know as New Zealand and New Caledonia, according to a study in the journal of the Geological Society of America (GSA).

While the idea of a mostly submerged continent in the Pacific has been known in the science community for a while, it was only in the last two decades that researchers accumulated enough data and observations to classify it as the world’s eighth continent, reports ABC news.

Zeelandia covers about 2 million square miles. just larger than India. It now joins Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North and South America as continents.