Pangaea

noun (proper noun)

/pænˈdʒiːə/

The single supercontinent that existed approximately 335–175 million years ago, comprising all of Earth's major landmasses before it began to break apart into Laurasia (northern) and Gondwanaland (southern) during the Mesozoic Era.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

Just as the geological breakup of Pangaea reshaped the planet's surface over aeons, the unravelling of a once-monolithic global order into competing blocs compels India to recalibrate its foreign policy for a more fragmented, multipolar world.

Synonyms

supercontinentPangeaprimordial landmassUrkontinentall-earth landmass

Antonyms

LaurasiaGondwanaPanthalassa (the surrounding ocean)

🌱 Word Family

Pangaean (adj); No standard derived forms; related: Gondwana (n), Laurasia (n)

🔡 Root

Greek pan (πᾶν) = all; gaia (γαῖα) = earth, land; coined by Alfred Wegener in 1912

📜 Etymology

From Greek pan (πᾶν, "all") + gaia (γαῖα, "earth, land"); coined by Alfred Wegener in 1912 to describe the hypothetical unified landmass from which the present continents drifted apart.

🧠 Memory Hook

PAN + GAEA = "all" + "earth" (Gaia, the Greek earth-goddess): Pangaea is the "all-earth" supercontinent where every landmass was once joined as one.

🌍 Geography 📖 Seen in: Plate Tectonics & Volcanism — Continen...

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