We were at school that there were nine planets, but now there are eight (scientists said Pluto is not a planet). Now we may have to our thinking about how many continents there . We are taught there are seven continents - Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia. Geologists (people who the land and the earth) now there is an eighth continent - Zealandia. This a huge, largely underwater landmass in the southern Pacific Ocean. Six per cent of this landmass above water and is what we as New Zealand and New Caledonia. Around 94 per cent of it is under the ocean. In total, it five million square kilometres, which scientists say is big enough to a continent.
Geologists why they think Zealandia is a continent. They a research paper and published it in the Geological Society of America's Journal. They that the land does not have to be above water for it to a continent. They said four different points Zealandia a continent. It is a lot higher than the surrounding area, it a unique geology, it is easy to find the shape of the continent, and it is a lot thicker than the ocean floor. Nick Mortimer, a geologist at GNS Science in New Zealand, said it would be easy to that Zealandia is a continent, "if you could the plug on the world's oceans" and the water out. However, it may take some time before scientists that there are eight continents.
