Society

A vast landmass that was once home to 500,000 people has been discovered off the coast of Australia.

Now submerged, the ancient continent was habitable for nearly 65,000 years and covered an area of 390,000 square kilometers—larger than New Zealand.

Scientists who made the discovery explained that this landmass was completely different from anything known today.

Kasih Norman of Queensland’s Griffith University commented on the findings: "Many large islands off Australia's coast – islands that once formed part of the continental shelves – show signs of occupation before sea levels rose."

Long before this discovery, archaeologists had already speculated about the existence of an ancient landmass in the region.

"The region contained a mosaic of habitable fresh and saltwater environments. The most salient of these features was the Malita inland sea," the team added.

(QG - Indy 100 / Picture: © Unsplash)