Gondwana

[ gond-wah-nuh ]
/ gɒndˈwɑ nə /

noun

a hypothetical landmass in the Southern Hemisphere that separated toward the end of the Paleozoic Era to form South America, Africa, Antarctica, and Australia.
Also called Gond·wa·na·land.
Compare Laurasia.

Origin of Gondwana

First recorded in 1870–75

British Dictionary definitions for gondwanaland

Gondwanaland

Gondwana

/ (ɡɒndˈwɑːnəˌlænd) /

noun

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

Word Origin for Gondwanaland

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

Scientific definitions for gondwanaland

Gondwanaland
[ gŏnd-wä′nə-lănd′ ]

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. Compare Laurasia.