Gondwanaland Former supercontinent of the southern hemisphere from which S. America, Africa, Madagascar, India, Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand, and Antarctica are derived. Their earlier connection explains why related groups of plants and animals are found in more than one of the now widely separated southern land masses. Examples include: the Dipnoi (lung-fish) common to S. America, Africa, and Australia; marsupial mammals found today in Australia and for most of the Cenozoic in S. America; and the monkey-puzzle tree (Araucaria) common to S. America and Australia.

Gondwanaland Southern supercontinent. It began to break away from the single land mass Pangaea c.200 million years ago. It became South America, Africa, India, Australia and Antarctica. The northern supercontinent, Laurasia, eventually became North America and Eurasia without India.

Gondwanaland See continental drift.