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Newly identified continent Zealandia faces a battle for recognition

Defining the largely submerged landmass may be trickier than defining Pluto as a planet

Earth from space

LOST LAND  New Zealand rises from the center of a largely submerged continent called Zealandia, scientists propose.

Stuart Rankin/Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0), NASA

By Thomas Sumner

- More than 2 years ago

Lurking beneath New Zealand is a long-hidden continent called Zealandia, geologists say. But since nobody is in charge of officially designating a new continent, individual scientists will ultimately have to judge for themselves.