Pangaea was the ancient supercontinent that united most of Earth’s land around 250 million years ago.
The name Pangaea comes from Greek roots meaning “all Earth.” It formed during the late Paleozoic Era as tectonic plates moved and collided, bringing earlier continental blocks together. Pangaea was surrounded by a global ocean called Panthalassa, while the Tethys Ocean occupied a large embayment along its eastern side.
Pangaea began breaking apart during the Late Triassic and Jurassic periods, roughly 200 million years ago. The northern part became Laurasia, which later contributed to North America, Europe, and much of Asia; the southern part, Gondwana, contributed to Africa, South America, Antarctica, Australia, and the Indian subcontinent. Continental drift is now explained by plate tectonics, supported by matching fossils, rock layers, and ancient climate evidence on continents that are far apart today. Pangaea is not the only proposed supercontinent: older examples include Rodinia and Columbia.