Pangaea

American  

[pan-jee-uh] / pænˈdʒi ə /

Or Pangea

noun

Geology.

1. the hypothetical landmass that existed when all continents were joined, from about 300 to 200 million years ago.

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Pangaea British  

/ pænˈdʒiːə /

noun

1. the ancient supercontinent, comprising all the present continents joined together, which began to break up about 200 million years ago See also Laurasia Gondwanaland

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Pangaea Scientific  

/ păn-jē′ə /

1. A supercontinent made up of all the world's present landmasses joined together in the configuration they are thought to have had during the Permian and Triassic Periods. According to the theory of plate tectonics, Pangaea later broke up into Laurasia and Gondwanaland, which eventually broke up into the continents we know today.

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Pangaea Cultural  

1. A former “supercontinent” on the Earth. In the distant past a large landmass, Pangaea, included all the present continents, which broke up and drifted apart. (See plate tectonics.)

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Etymology

Origin of Pangaea

1920–25; pan- + Greek gaîa earth; allegedly coined by German meteorologist Alfred L. Wegener (1880–1930)

Example Sentences

This period included major environmental changes such as the breakup of Pangaea, expansion of shallow marine habitats and the early Mesozoic Marine Revolution, all of which likely created new opportunities for species to diversify.

From Science Daily • May 2, 2026

Their widespread distribution likely occurred when the continents were still connected as the supercontinent Pangaea.

From Science Daily • Mar. 10, 2026

Terry Haines, founder of Pangaea Policy, said the tariff rebate checks are “very likely” next year.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 20, 2025

But Terry Haines of Washington-based analysis firm Pangaea Policy, said he did not expect the other two bills, which are more significant, to go further.

From BBC • Jul. 17, 2025

Something over a billion years ago, the continents of earth were a single mass called Pangaea surrounded by the lonely Panthalassan Sea.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson