Gondwanaland

[ gond-wah-nuh-land ]

noun

1. Gondwana ( ).

Gondwanaland

/ ɡɒndˈwɑːnəˌlænd /

noun

1. one of the two ancient supercontinents produced by the first split of the even larger supercontinent Pangaea about 200 million years ago, comprising chiefly what are now Africa, South America, Australia, Antarctica, and the Indian subcontinent

Gondwanaland

/ gŏnd-wä′nə-lănd′ /

1. A supercontinent of the Southern Hemisphere made up of the landmasses that currently correspond to India, Australia, Antarctica, and South America. According to the theory of plate tectonics, Gondwanaland separated from Pangaea at the end of the Paleozoic Era and broke up into the current continents in the middle of the Mesozoic Era.
2. Compare Laurasia

Word History and Origins

Origin of Gondwanaland¹

First recorded in 1895–1900; from German Gondwána-Land, equivalent to Gondwana ( def ) + Land land ( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of Gondwanaland¹

C19: from Gondwana region in central north India, where the rock series was originally found