Gondwana A former supercontinent of the southern hemisphere from which South America, Africa, India, Australasia, 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 conifer Araucaria (monkey puzzle, Chile pine, hoop pine, etc.) common to South America and Australia. Throughout Gondwana there existed floristic assemblages represented by a few species of fossil plants that are thought to have grown in a cold climate. This view is supported by palaeomagnetic evidence and by indications of glaciation in South America, Africa, India, and Australia, which must then have been in a much higher latitude than they are today.

Gondwana a vast continental area believed to have existed in the southern hemisphere and to have resulted from the break-up of Pangaea in Mesozoic times. It comprised the present Arabia, Africa, South America, Antarctica, Australia, and the peninsula of India.

The name is recorded from the late 19th century, originally denoting any of a series of rocks in India, especially fluviatile shales and sandstones, from the name of a region in central northern India, from Sanskrit goṇḍavana ‘forest of Gond’.

Gondwana A former supercontinent of the southern hemisphere from which S. America, Africa, India, Australia, 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 monkey-puzzle tree (Araucaria) common to S. America and Australia. Throughout Gondwana there existed floristic assemblages represented by a few species of plants that are thought to have grown in a cold climate. This view is supported by indications of glaciation in S. America, Africa, India, and Australia, which must then have been in a much higher latitude than they are today.

Gondwana A former supercontinent of the southern hemisphere from which S. America, Africa, India, Australia, 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 (lungfish) common to S. America, Africa, and Australia, and the monkey-puzzle tree (Araucaria) common to S. America and Australia.