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Benedict Arnold

Should Zealandia be considered a continent?

It's interesting that Zealandia is just now making news; I've known about it for years (#GeographyWhiz #ZealandiaHipster), but the issue now seems to be whether this mostly submerged continent (of which the main part that shows is the country of New Zealand) should officially be considered a continent. What say you?

Keep in mind that "continent" has various definitions, one of which is simply "large geographical region that may be defined by culture more than geography". Zealandia is made of continental crust, so just because most of it doesn't show doesn't mean it shouldn't be a continent (in my opinion). 

Posted - February 19, 2017
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Responses


  • I think it's all a plot by Kiwis to get the rest of the world to acknowledge them.
      February 19, 2017 11:50 AM MST
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  • I'm fascinated by New Zealand. It's even more remote than Australia. It's truly the "edge of the world". I wouldn't mind living there some day :)
      February 19, 2017 12:00 PM MST
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  • I've been interested myself.

    If you want remote though check out Tristan da Cunha.
      February 19, 2017 12:03 PM MST
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  • 5614
    What culture is that, underwater? If defined by geographical region without water borders, one continent blends into another leaving little distinction. Funny how all roads lead back to immigration ;) This post was edited by O-uknow at February 19, 2017 4:01 PM MST
      February 19, 2017 1:09 PM MST
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  • Let's wait a bit and see if it emerges. 

    In my opinion (and remember, you heard it here first) New Zealand's recent earthquakes are a demonstration that Poseidon wants more space and is pushing Zealandia up to the surface where it can float. This will have the effect of reducing the Tasman Sea to the width of the English Channel and we'll probably have to build a rabbit-proof fence down the east coast of Australia (we'll make New Zealand pay for it) to keep out the Kiwis.
      February 19, 2017 4:10 PM MST
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  • 2219
    You might have to wait a few million years for Zealandia to surface. 
      February 19, 2017 4:14 PM MST
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  • I'm in no hurry. We do longevity in my family. It'll be something to look forward to. :)
      February 19, 2017 4:21 PM MST
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  • 3719
    A "continent" has physical as well as human definitions, and so does not necessarily have to be above-water and inhabited. 

    After all, continents in various shapes and locations have existed since the proto-Earth had accumulated and cooled to a state such that its constituent rocks could differentiate and solidify. Simplified, a continent is essentially a raft of granite (generally buried under various "cover rocks") surrounded by the solidified basalt "skin" of the outer layers of the Mantle on which it floats - though that "skin" forms the oceans' floors. 

    Further, the modern continents we inhabit extend beyond the edges we know as their coasts, with submerged fringes - their Continental Shelves - and in a few places such as off NW Scotland and the Newfoundland Banks, these are up to a few hundred miles wide.

     Zealandia is defined as a continent on geological grounds. 
      March 16, 2017 8:11 PM MDT
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