Sign up for our daily newsletterEmail addressSign upI would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. The Points Guy will not share or sell your email. See privacy policy.Have you ever been to New Zealand? If so, you can cross both a country and a continent off your travel bucket list.In the March/April Issue of The Geological Society of America, scientists concluded that several islands including New Zealand and New Caledonia, are not separate territories but are connected by a large swath of submerged land — an eighth continent now known as Zealandia. This piece of the earth’s continental crust is the youngest and thinnest continent on the planet, covering three million square miles, 94% of which are submerged in water.A map outlining the continent of Zealandia. Image courtesy of the Geological Society of America.This isn’t even the first new continent to be discovered by scientists recently; located deep in the Indian Ocean are pieces of yet another ancient supercontinent deemed Mauritia. In this case, the entire continent, situated underneath the African island of Mauritius, is underwater — making it considerably harder for travelers to visit.
