Where Is Gondwanaland?

You won't find a place called Gondwanaland on any map of the world. Gondwanaland, or simply Gondwana, is the name scientists use for one of the huge land masses, that existed before the continents began to drift apart.

According to some scientists, all the continents once formed a single land mass, called Pangaea. This land mass has gradually broken up into the continents which are still drifting farther and farther apart.

But other scientists believe that the continents originally formed two land masses. One of these, called Laurasia, broke up into North America, Europe, and most of Asia. The second mass, Gondwana, broke up into Africa, South America, Australia, Antarctica, and India.

You can see how the continents may have Once fit together by looking at a map of the world. The eastern shore of South America, for instance, would fit neatly against the western shore of Africa.

The southern shore of Australia would fit neatly against part of Antarctica. For scientists who are now trying to figure out how all the continents fit together, assembling the continents is like putting together a huge jigsaw puzzle!