Where Was Your Country During Pangea?
April 4, 2026
When Pangea existed, roughly 250 million years ago, the land that makes up your country was somewhere completely different. Here is where some of the world's major regions were located during the age of the supercontinent.
North America
North America formed the western core of the northern landmass, Laurasia. During Pangea, most of what is now the eastern United States was pressed against northwestern Africa and Iberia. The Appalachian Mountains are the ancient remnants of the collision zone where these landmasses met, once rivaling the Himalayas in height.
The western part of North America was coastline facing the vast Panthalassa Ocean, which covered most of the globe. Canada's Arctic regions were located at mid-latitudes, far from their current polar position.
Europe
Europe was smashed against North America and northwestern Africa as part of Laurasia. Britain and Scandinavia were in a warm subtropical zone. The Ural Mountains, which now form the border between Europe and Asia, were formed when Siberia collided with the rest of Laurasia during the late Carboniferous.
The Tethys Sea, a vast tropical ocean, separated Laurasia from the southern supercontinent Gondwana. What is now the Mediterranean is a tiny remnant of this ancient sea.
India
During Pangea, India was firmly embedded in Gondwana, the southern supercontinent, pressed between Antarctica and Africa. It sat well south of the equator.
After Pangea broke up, India became a separate landmass and drifted northward at remarkable speed for a tectonic plate, covering thousands of kilometers over 100 million years. It finally collided with Asia around 50 million years ago, and the collision is still happening today, pushing the Himalayas higher by a few millimeters each year.
You can watch India's journey on the interactive map. Search for India and drag the time slider to watch it race northward from Antarctica.
South America and Africa
South America and Africa were joined at their coastlines during Pangea, which is why the two continents look like puzzle pieces that fit together. The Amazon basin was far inland, and the entire region was closer to the equator than much of it is today.
When they separated, starting around 130 million years ago, the opening of the South Atlantic began. The two continents carry identical fossil records and rock formations across their matching coastlines, one of the most compelling early pieces of evidence for continental drift.
Australia and Antarctica
Australia and Antarctica remained joined long after other parts of Gondwana had split away, finally separating around 35 million years ago. During Pangea, both were located closer to the south pole, though the climate was far warmer globally.
Fossil evidence from Antarctica includes both tropical plants and dinosaur species, confirming that it was once a very different place from the frozen continent we know today.